Maybe it's the endorphins
I'm starting to really get into the runner's mode. There is a 70% chance that I will be running the Chicago marathon next spring, depending on how second semester goes time-wise and health-wise. Everyday that I've gone running lately, has been incredible. I've become addicted to running without really knowing where I'm going. I just run. I turn a corner when I want to, I cross the street if the other side looks more interesting, I turn around when I'm half-way tired. It's so liberating. I went on a run Wednesday that was so good as to deserve an entry.
I had a pretty stressful day at school, so when my classes were over, I laced up. My legs had this absurd strength, and it was everything I could do to hold them back. I ran, making only right turns. I ended up in the center of the city of Des Moines. Sure, it's no Chicago, but it still looks like Jackson Blvd minus the Sears tower. My breath came in puffs of smoke that broke upon contact with my face. Sweat beads lined my forehead. My shoes gave a soft thumping on the cement. My music was silence. I turned my head and caught a perfect skyline picture of Des Moines. It was so breathtaking. I don't know how I got there. Because that's when I realized I was on a deserted railroad. There were a few bare trees, cars off in the distance, but other than that, I was alone. I could hear the city. I could feel the cold wind. It was perfect. I could have stood there forever. But my legs wanted more. I ran a bit more before hitting the Iowa Cubs baseball park. The park is right along a river, the capitol building occupies the background. I just felt so free. I was nowhere to be found. And I loved it. Where was I? By a baseball stadium. How did I get there? I don't know. I took only right turns. I followed only well paved sidewalks. I ran. Where next? I was half-way tired. It's time to turn around. The run back was very peaceful. No, tranquil. I felt like I had found something I had been looking for. But I held nothing in my hands. I held no new knowledge in my head. But my insides felt alive agian. I was re-excited about life. Yet, underneath the peaceful tranquility was a deep urge to get back to school. Find the place that I am familiar with. Just a silly girl excited about life.
That run needed to happen. I needed to find myself in a new, unfamiliar place. I needed to forget how to get home. I needed to clear my head; fill it with the cold, crisp, October air. Humans weren't meant to be caged. Physically or mentally.
I had a pretty stressful day at school, so when my classes were over, I laced up. My legs had this absurd strength, and it was everything I could do to hold them back. I ran, making only right turns. I ended up in the center of the city of Des Moines. Sure, it's no Chicago, but it still looks like Jackson Blvd minus the Sears tower. My breath came in puffs of smoke that broke upon contact with my face. Sweat beads lined my forehead. My shoes gave a soft thumping on the cement. My music was silence. I turned my head and caught a perfect skyline picture of Des Moines. It was so breathtaking. I don't know how I got there. Because that's when I realized I was on a deserted railroad. There were a few bare trees, cars off in the distance, but other than that, I was alone. I could hear the city. I could feel the cold wind. It was perfect. I could have stood there forever. But my legs wanted more. I ran a bit more before hitting the Iowa Cubs baseball park. The park is right along a river, the capitol building occupies the background. I just felt so free. I was nowhere to be found. And I loved it. Where was I? By a baseball stadium. How did I get there? I don't know. I took only right turns. I followed only well paved sidewalks. I ran. Where next? I was half-way tired. It's time to turn around. The run back was very peaceful. No, tranquil. I felt like I had found something I had been looking for. But I held nothing in my hands. I held no new knowledge in my head. But my insides felt alive agian. I was re-excited about life. Yet, underneath the peaceful tranquility was a deep urge to get back to school. Find the place that I am familiar with. Just a silly girl excited about life.
That run needed to happen. I needed to find myself in a new, unfamiliar place. I needed to forget how to get home. I needed to clear my head; fill it with the cold, crisp, October air. Humans weren't meant to be caged. Physically or mentally.