Running. I could go months without it – every day regretting my lapse in exercise, but as soon as I pick it up again, I am reminded of a simplicity that I love so much. It’s you. Your body. And your thoughts. Hot sweat in the sunset and a cool breeze through damp sleeves. [Poet. Sorry]. Whatever the elements outside confront you with – snow, rain, wind, or humidity, you fight furiously.
It’s the purest challenge. No stretchy bands, machines or videos. The thought of quitting goes in and out of your mind at what feels like every other second. Aches and sores pine through your muscles as you dare to convince yourself to go just one more block. Just to that sign at the end of the road, bargaining with yourself that the uphill walk will be your “break.” Finally, by some stroke of luck, you reach your goal, you surpass, and somehow you make it back home.
The tension in your legs, hams, calves, and shoulders, loosening as you stretch – sweating even more profusely – almost more than when you were actually running.
There is nothing more addicting than that feeling of ecstasy, the runner’s high, you feel after or even during the jaunt.
Stretch. Relax. Shower. The endorphins breathe out of your pores as you dry off and get dressed. Ready to go on with your day.
Running is a personal satisfaction. It’s yours, and yours alone. Even if you don’t run alone, your body, soul, and mind get that feeling – that I’ve done this for me; I will continue to do this for me. It’s mine. And no one can take that away.
There are plenty of people that would call running one of their passions, or even their greatest passion. Others might consider it a little bit of an obsession. And the rest of us ‘fair-weather’ runners, we’re somewhere in the middle.
I’m not trying to say we all need to be runners. Life would be pretty boring if we all were the same. My point is that we all need something that is solely our own. A moment of solace, a peace and quiet, something strictly for our own health and sanity. Defend that moment – whatever passion it is, or whatever passion it fulfills, it’s yours for the taking, so don’t let it go.
