Dear running,
Thanks for helping me to enjoy exercise again.
Back story: I grew up a super-fit kid, always doing my sport or cross-training and conditioning for it. Then, after a health issue and being told to not exercise for a time (while they tried to figure out what was going on and then while I healed), I never had the same relationship again with fitness or my body. Once I could get back into things, fitness felt boring and there always seemed to be an injury that flared up just as I felt like I was starting to make progress. I've only exercised sporadically since then.
But lately, I've been running. I never feel like going for a run until I’ve begun—then I’m always so glad I did. It clears my head. Running makes me notice all the little things around me that I normally miss for my phone. All the things that remind me that I'm just a small human on a big earth. I get to watch the sky change as the sun sets. I can watch the fireflies appear. I get to surprise myself with what I’m actually capable of. I’m not particularly fast and I’ve never had the best endurance. But I like running. It makes me feel human—and alive.
So, this is just a 'lil thank you to running for reminding me that exercise can be enjoyable and that I can be strong again.
