TO RUNNING

I sprawled across the floor of my bedroom for a while, trying to come up with the perfect intro (and then the perfect middle portion and then the perfect conclusion) to this post.

How could my blog adequately and accurately celebrate Global Running Day? How could anyone begin to summarize something so fluid? What words can be used? What aspects should be picked out and crafted into the story?

What, really, is running about?

Is it joyous? Sweaty, smiling celebrations after hard workouts and finished races tell me that it is.

Consuming? When, the night before my races, I dream of the event and of everything that can go wrong, I find running to be.

Invigorating? When sharp breaths of fresh air coursing through my lungs are enough to immediately inject life into my bones, I believe it to be.

Is running infuriating? Every time I swallow tears from my eyes after a tough run or new injury or watch my teammates do the same, there is no doubt that it can be.

Is it cathartic? Escaping the harsh realities of life for momentary solitude and a heightened ability to feel truly alive while running is.

Humbling? In the instances where you’re built up to be great only to come crashing back to reality with bruises and despair, running humbles.

Is running easy? On the days your feet flow along the path with reckless abandon and your body finds harmony with your surroundings, there is nothing easier.

The longest run I’ve ever done (so far).

Is it exhausting? Finishing workouts and runs of paces and proportions you’ve only ever dreamed of before speaks to this characteristic.

Freeing? Flying along single-track trails in the coolness of early summer mornings with feet and mind wandering, I think it is.

Hard? When I find myself balancing an overwhelming desire to collapse into a sweaty heap with the knowledge that I must run on, I remember that it is.

Beautiful? When I look back on every step, on every run, on every lesson I’ve been taught and everyone I’ve met through running, it is.

There is so much emotion in this activity, in this sport. Running can and does encompass everything I listed above, but it still offers up individual emotions to each person and on each run.

And while it may not ever be the most important thing in the world, running complements life, adding color and trials and triumphs to the world. For that, I am grateful.