Running is my therapy; it provides whatever I happen to need that day. It is my solitude and my social network. It allows me to escape the volume of words in my head and reconnect with the whisper in my heart. Some days it breaks me down, but more often it builds me up. It makes me grateful to be alive and feeling things ... even when that feeling is pain. Running makes food taste better and makes music come to life.
A good long run is life in miniature: I might have a slow start where it’s hard to find a rhythm; doubt sometimes seeps in. And then, like magic, there it is: the rhythm emerges ... and while it is never effortless, it feels like this is what my body was meant to do. When it is over, the salt from my sweat and dust from the trail are my rewards. It reminds me that nothing is easy, but if I’m open to it, running will give me a bit of what I need.
