Running

I love running…

Running

 

 

There is nothing in this world that makes me feel alive more than running,

Luckily, at an early age I noticed I was good at it,

For instance, I first noticed I was good at running and enjoyed it more than anything else at my primary school's sports day,

Being good at running helped me play football because I had no skills,

However, I must say that I have never been, or am not an elite level runner,

That’s just not me and it never will be,

On the other hand, living in a violent neighborhood growing up meant my life was miserable,

I was always being beaten up, threatened, scared, harassed, and bullied,

However, my running ability saved me from serious beatings because I outran thugs on multiple occasions,

For example…

I ran to and from school,

I ran to and from my friend’s house,

I ran to and from the shops,

I ran home from college,

I ran everywhere because I was scared,

But I enjoyed the running and dreamt about being an elite level runner,

Unfortunately, as I already said that’s just not me,

Throughout the years I have stopped and started running for various reasons,

There is nothing more I enjoy more than running,

Once I get into my stride and rhythm I become on top of the world,

All I can hear is the rhythmic sound of my breathing,

I feel great, almost immortal,

With each step I grow stronger,

Alternatively, after around 10km with each step I grow weaker,

Specifically, after 5km it stops being all fun and becomes a challenge,

I start taking it seriously and I question why I am doing it,

This is because once again as I said I am not an elite runner,

At around 10km, the enjoyment has pretty much gone,

And it becomes a serious challenge,

To get me through this challenge, I take it life or death,

Every step I take,

Every breath I make,

I know I’m not very good, but I feel elite,

That’s all that matters to me,

To get me through the pain, I focus on specific memories from my life,

Things I focus on that remind me we are all going to die at some point,

Times in my life where I almost did die,

So then the pain lessens, and I keep running,

After around 15km I rely more on music to motivate me,

And even sometimes I run half a marathon,

However, this is only when everything is perfect and I feel good,

I must say that I never plan to run half a marathon,

I’m not big enough to take on a challenge that size,

My favorite distance is just 10km.