Thursday, July 5, 2012

I have accepted that there are some nights when I simply will not sleep. I rise from my bed around 3:30 after laying for a couple of hours. Check on an obscure movie trivia thing on the Internet, then put on my shoes and shorts and go outside, where, even at that hour I am greeted with a nearly 80 degree temp, with oppressive humidity. I start out slow, in the middle of the street with a slow shuffling jog. Getting worked up to the breath, the stiff legs ( i ran just several hours earlier) and the mind fighting me saying "why are you not in bed". The moon is hazy and the air is thick with moisture. But the roads are nearly completely clear of any traffic and I can run anywhere on the pavement that looks and feels clear. I'm doing "the square". Each stretch of the four sides is exactly one mile. I move a little faster and the pace picks up, but the second side feels sluggish, for me, probably just the humidity. But also tight from doing two runs in six hour period. I've always kept the mantra through my 14 years running, and especially the last eight on dialysis that the only important thing when running is to not stop. Speed comes when it comes, pain comes and goes, breathing will level off no matter the internal and environmental conditions, form is of little real importance, but to keep moving is key. The run is yours and just yours. I like running the last quarter mile of a run like last night when your body forgets, and your mind lets go of all the variables as you fly to the finish point. The moon has been your guide and the silence is your cover. Sweat is pouring down, and the body electric. I come inside bathe and watch a movie before sleeping.

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