Running Like a Child

Today I remembered what it feels like to run like a child.  I’ve been running on and off for many years now, thanks to the encouragement of my runner husband, and inspiration from my runner daughter. She gets it from her dad.

When the weather turned to spring today, and after family had been fed, I took Tucker out for his evening walk.  Feeling heavy from a long and cold winter, the two of us took off down the road, him frantic for pee spots. Me getting jerked along. You just can’t get a proper runners pace when a dog is stopping every 30 seconds, so I just decided to follow him. Whatever he was doing, I would let him. The first part of the walk remained jerky until he did his big business, then he kind of let me set the pace. It was just a slow jog, but both feet would be off the ground, so I felt the benefit of muscles working.

Runners mind is a great time for reflecting, and so I did. I thought back to earlier in the day when I watched the children at the playground after school. I remembered the feeling of being a kid at a playground, having a sense of freedom and independence, recognizing the heirarchy of the personalities present. Today a group of kids pulled me right into their swinging game, and I played along. I allowed them their ownership of the space and they felt that. I was just a human, playing. One girl was walking along, paying attention to only herself, balancing a water bottle on her shoulder. I remembered the importance of being with oneself during an important task. 

As I was running along, it occurred to me that I wasn’t pacing myself, I wasn’t counting my breaths (in 2,3,4 out 2,3,4), I wasn’t trying to be a runner at all. I was just running with my dog. Not feeling disappointed that I was stopped for the 28th pee. Just out in the world, enjoying spring, loving my body for where it is, running just because I want to.