I am running

I’m an athlete – I have been my whole life. Swimming, soccer, cycling, running and had my turn at ultimate frisbee, adventure racing, racquetball, tennis, downhill skiing, yoga,

Right now though I’m a runner. I’m approaching runner in a whole new way. It’s about the experience, the freedom, the ease. Sure I appreciate being outside, being in the weather, seeing the world, running with others, feeling healthy. The best part is simply the feeling inside.

I’ve also been reading books about running. Not the ones about training, or lifting weights or setting goals, but about the ones that try to describe the experience of running. The book Running the Spiritual Path: A Runner’s Guide to Breathing, Meditating, and Exploring the Prayerful Dimension of the Sport has the following passage:

“When I run, I "am" running. In other words, when I run, I become running. All that I was before the run, and all that I will be again when the run is complete, is of secondary importance. For the moment, I am the run, and nothing more."

In many ways this sums it up for me when I’m out there running – I am running. I am an expression of running. The flow, the grace, the footsteps, the ups and downs, the form, the moving muscles, the spirit of it. The feeling of that is magical.

The next time you’re out there doing your favorite activity – running, or crochet, or whatever it is. Try on the expression “I am <that>.”