TEXAS – It would seem the spirit of Texas was calling Ryan Grillo long before he moved to Austin.

Having bounced around the country, his latest move came after his husband was asked to work for Texas' favorite grocer, H-E-B.

Now in Austin, Grillo had to figure out a new routine for one of his favorite hobbies, running. He needed a new route, so he mapped out nine miles around his neighborhood to get the lay of the land.

When he left his house to run it, the spirit of Texas had completely taken over.

"When I got back to look at it, [the route] looked a lot like Texas without me even trying to do that," Grillo said.

Grillo spent his time perfecting that route to make it tighter and more Texas, a process that involved a good amount of trial and error.

"I did get lost a couple times," Grillo recalled. "I wasn't able to do it on the first or second try. I was really meticulous about looking at the street names and I got it right."

He cut it down to a five-mile run around the streets of East Austin that end at a point to create a Texas-shaped route.

A run as diverse as the state itself, it features flat terrain, hilly climbs, neighborhood streets and more. With his trusty Post-it Note that keeps him on the right track, Grillo regularly runs the route to break up the monotony of his every day runs. The obstacles he faces on during those runs mean more to him than a good cardio workout.

"For me it represents the challenge of moving here," Grillo said. "Finding my way and becoming part of the lifeblood of Texas."

Grillo is more than just the life blood of Texas. He says he hopes the run starts a new tradition that let's folks from all over show off their Texas pride.