There is something spiritual about rolling out of bed and throwing on a pair of warm sweats and sweatshirt, lacing up my adidas then picking the playlist on my ipod, and taking off. The feel of my feet pounding onto the pavement as I ease into a slow jog jars my brain into action.
I can feel my muscles start to respond, at first they are grumbling at me.
I start to take catalog of all my body parts, how my feet are landing, how long my stride is, making sure my core is straight.
I start to ease into the rocking stride I have come to call "Nuetral".
My husband, a Marine, got me hooked on running and even though he never yelled the "left, left" cadence, I say it to myself when I feel like I've gotten off stride. That cadence in my head helps me get back that stride that feels like I'm loping.
So there I am, running through the town I live in with my body on auto pilot and my mind going wherever it wants to. I feel strong as I breathe in through my mouth and out through my nose, my leg muscles starting to burn as I go up the truly brutal hill at the edge of town. I feel like the air is more pure. I start to feel like anything I come up against is nothing compared to this hill.
I change my stride like I'm downshifting in my car, I lift my feet higher and push with my glutes, powering up the steep grade. There is a pasture there with some cows and one horse, it has become my habit to whistle a little warble to the horse. He lifts his head and comes to the fence to watch me fly by. On the leg home I want to stop and walk. I keep saying to myself, "Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop. I don't stop.
Yeah, this is my religion.
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1 comment:
What a great descriptive account of your running! I feel like I am right there with you. I'm glad you are writing and that you are enjoying your running. :)
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