Nice Tri

A Midsummer Night's Run

It's hot, my skin feels sticky with sweat as I don my running shorts.
 
The warmup jog to the park is awkward. I'm still sore from Tuesday night's hills.
 
Then the music kicks in, and my pace picks up.
 
It's 8:15pm. The park is comfortably busy. Dusk, then twilight. Fireflies sparkle, dance, in the brush. As I see one light up I follow its dark form to see it light up again before I pass.
 
Occassionally I see a bat flap between trees, silhoutted against the slate blue sky.
 
Other runners pass me, and I pass other runners. There are cyclists, rollerbladers, walkers, kids on bikes and scooters. I notice some, and others I pass without seeing, concentrating on my music, my legs, my breathing. My breathing is relaxed. On the uphill I gasp slightly, at the same time increasing my speed because I can. Because it feels great.
 
Because I like running now.
 
And because I like how it feels when I get home, breathless after the 5 flights of stairs, and only when I stop does my skin start to sweat and I tell David, "34 minutes."

posted by Gillian @ 10:53 PM