Sometimes the run silences the ambient noise of the day. Some days it provides temporary shelter from the storms of living; a safe port in the harbor. When I lace up my shoes I become the person that I want to be, my best side is put forward.
I slip into another world. Perhaps, it's the challenge of running a hard 10 miler. Or doing a hill circuit multiple times. Or completing a long run. Or keeping the pace nice and easy on a recovery run.
The environment around me comes alive. I'm keenly aware of even the slightest atmospheric changes; an increase in wind speed, a slight drop in temperature, the movement of clouds in relation to the sun. And it's revealed thru clues in the vegetation; the sounds the wind makes whistling thru the tree tops. A chill felt on the back of my neck. The disappearance of shadows on an asphalt road.
Time, as measured by clocks and wristwatches and cell phones loses it's hold on me. The words of the poet William Blake come alive; "time is a tyranny to be abolished." Time becomes something that is now quantified in relation to distances and speeds run.
Thoughts tend to flow smooth and easy like they are surfing the waves in the ocean. Other times there is silence, whereby a small raindrop falling onto the surface of smooth glassy pond might cause me to momentarily jump.
After an hour or so out here things are always better. The vicissitudes of the toils we inevitably face lose their sharp edges, and become a bit softer to the touch. The roller coaster may not be grounded, but we are also not hanging onto the rails with clenched fists.
I become spiritually plugged in. I marvel at the beauty of nature; like witnessing a painting on a scroll slowly unwinding before my eyes. Some days I contemplate God. Some days I know God exists, because I feel touched in places deep inside of me that I cannot fully comprehend. I'm grateful, and feel blessed.
And I hope and pray my fellow runners can feel the same way-
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