At first all I hear is silence. Then birdsong. The crunch of my feet on gravel. The rhythmic sound of my breath.
I am running.
***
I started in running in January 2005. I hated going to the gym, so I figured I’d try something with a goal in mind and registered for a 10k clinic.
At first one minute of running made me feel like I was going to DIE.
I went to the run clinic every Wednesday night and dutifully did my solo runs two other days a week. I progressed, increasing intervals until I got to the point where I thought I might actually be able to do it.
And I did. That year at the end of April I ran my first 10K.
But I didn’t stop running.
Why do I run?
I run because it’s hard. Every run, good or bad, feels like an accomplishment.
I run because it gets me outside into the fresh air.
I run because a sunlit trail often seems like the place on Earth to be.
I run because when it rains everything feels refreshed, even me.
I run because, as I wrote before, it’s a battle between mind and body and it’s good for both.
I run because I have friends who run and I run with them.
I run because I’ve made new friends through running.
I run because often when running I’m also writing – drafting things in my head and thinking about the right turn of phrase as my feet pound the path.
I run because the trails are there.
Because I run, I get alone time I might not otherwise take time for.
Because I run, I’ve seen my expression reflected on other runners’ faces – a grimace signalling determination through pain.
Because I run, I also know what an expression of joy looks like on the face of someone out in the fresh air and sunshine doing something that’s good for them.
Because I run I see more dragonflies.
Because I run, I get to see my dog in his happy place, skipping along, sniffing, falling behind, catching up, surging ahead, pushing me farther.
Because I run I have learned to push myself – to not quit when I want to because I remember my dad’s advice and I’ve learned it’s true: “If you stop when it’s hard you never improve.”
Because I run I know what it’s like to cross the finish line of a half-marathon and receive a medal for finishing something I once thought I would never, ever be able to do.
***
I see sparks of sunlight glinting off the lake. Shadows bounce and twirl, reflecting the dance of the trees above them.
Today I ran.
Because I am a runner.
Yes, my face always gets this red when I run.
