Running Away?

"You're running so much, what are you running away from?" This question was asked of me during one of my running jags. My knee jerk reaction was that I was not running away from anything, I was just running. Nothing more, nothing less. Upon further evaluation I find that sometimes my running has a purpose other than "just running."

I don't think that I'm ever consciously trying to run away from anything, rather I'm trying to run to a better place: physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. When I run, my mind seems to become unhazed, clearer, cleaner, and fresher. My body loosens, my shoulders drop, my breathing calms. My head stops spinning (sometimes it literally spins-ask my kids).

Sometimes now I get to experience that runners high, the other worldliness that comes on when the endorphins kick in....I remember vividly the first time that this happened. The time that I forgot I was running and ended up miles from home, not quite knowing how I got there or how long it took me or how I was going to get my butt back home! I was running along, minding my own business when I looked up and realized I had just run through three towns and was headed for a fourth. I put the brakes on, turned on heel and headed home on a runners high.

Was I running away from something that day? Who knows...what I do know is that running brings me toward a clearer vision, a better sense of my self, a calmer demeanor and a belief that I am capable of handling anything that comes my way. I don't know that running can cure my ills, answer my questions, or right my wrongs, but I believe that for me it is a vehicle to do these things for myself.

Get Your Run On!

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