i should've grabbed my mp3 player. the music would have kept me from thinking about the suffering. i could've lost myself in the melody, the harmonization, the lyrics, the rhythm. but, no, i decided to run with only the wind and the tap, tap, tap of my feet to keep me occupied.
so i thought about the suffering and nearly quit several times. i felt awful at around the one-mile mark. i felt weak three-quarters of a mile later. i was miserable at two miles.
then the sprinklers appeared. at first i thought it had to be a mirage. i ran toward it like a dying man in the desert. the heat burned my flesh. i reached the life-giving spray and...it didn't disappear. it was real! bless the man who installed the sprinklers at the corner of boys and bryana! bless the man who decided to water his lawn this afternoon!
revived, i ran a bit harder on my way back into town. i kept counting the number of blocks left till i could quit. seven. six. five. four. three.
with two left i stopped my countdown and just ran. ran to pine and vine and collapsed. not really. i bent over for a bit, breathing hard, then straightened and started walking. i walked off the pain. i walked away the memory of the suffering. i walked till the sweat on my arms and legs dried, till the wind styled my hair for a night on the town.
and i got happy again. it always happens when i finish a running workout. i hate the pain, then love it. smiling, i walked back home.
No comments:
Post a Comment