Runner's High

The first several steps I feel heavy. There is no flow in my stride. I stumble aimlessly up the first of many steep hills and the frosty morning air fills my lungs like a warning for what lies ahead. I make my way to a grove like area where the frozen green grass stings my ankles and I stop suddenly, soaking it all in. I then head in a familiar direction where I have marked a trail with orange colored tape and begin to pick up the pace. I am short of breath and the razor sharp overhanging stickers rake across my quads drawing blood and causing me to stop again to remove them. For the next few miles I take groggy steps up and down ditches, jumping fallen trees and branches, hoping to find what I'm looking for. My mind begins to wander, and I almost forget what I'm doing out here. Soon I am far from the mental and physical state from which I started. I am no longer heavy, I am weightless, running effortlessly through the woods behind my house like an animal being chased. Running only on instinct, guided only by light and sound. My legs are no longer heavy and tight, they are sure and strong. My heart is eager to be pushed or tested, almost welcoming the pain. I then push through a muddy area that is long and straight, leading to a spot where I carefully move through an old barbed- wire fence, ripping my sock. The morning sun is warm , and it nearlly blinds me now as I make my way into the first of many open pastures filled with tall grass and random stretches of standing water. I then run along a deep, gravel filled gully heading back into the trails, in fear that I might have another close encounter with the overprotective cows that roam these pastures. As I jump the creek, several deer scatter within 30 or so yards of me and it reminds me that I am definately in the wild. I feel alive now, smiling involuntarily, and the salty sweat runs into my wide open eyes. In the open areas I run hard, but it is an easy effort. I am comfortable here because in my normal life there is so much structure. Out here I am truly free. There is no law, no rules, no boundaries. I am running against time. The wind picks up as I start to head home, and the steady breeze whistles God's tune in my ear and the tall trees are swaying in time. It is in times like these that I understand what it feels like to be truly alive. I follow my own footsteps back to my house feeling strong, and thankful. When I start to slow down I feel fresh, never tired, I don't really get tired. I only get tired of waiting, and wondering when I might be able to get back here again.