high as a kite

the earth moves. i move. the ground changes underneath my feet, every pace takes me forward towards something i yet have no knowledge of and the cool morning air feels soft on my skin. the narrow pathway leads me through the scenery full of savage beauty, crossing landscapes the like of which i have never seen before. this land is dry and the sun above it knows no mercy; but this earth under my feet is not barren and the life force radiating it gives me part of its strength.

i run up the hill and feel how my heart starts to beat faster, pressing blood and oxygen in my veins with an increasing pressure. the sun has risen above the peak of the hill behind me and i can feel its warming fingers on my back; a promise of yet another hot day is already tactile in the air. my feet hit the reddish, dusty ground with a steady, even pace, and i feel almost as if my every movement has been taken from me, automated and controlled by a power bigger than me. i could not stop this flow, this movement, this dizzying feel of being alive and on the move even if i wanted to; and it goes without saying that getting down from this high is the last thing i would ever want to happen right now.

the hill is now descending and i feel like i am flying. every footstep needs to be placed carefully, the pathway is beautiful but also deceiving; the small rocks, bumps and curves make sure that the runner is constantly aware of the surroundings. and as the geometry and choreography of my own movement fills my thoughts and i feel how my legs work, how the muscles respond to the signals sent by my brain and the cooperation of my mind and body takes me forward with an ease impossible to describe with words,  i am truly and genuinely unable to feel nothing but happiness.

and really, this feeling, it is something so remarkable and so unique; a feeling i cannot access in any other way than running. and every time i do i am reminded why i love this particular way of moving so much -- this high and this overpowering gratitude you feel because you are alive and you are healthy and your legs are good and strong and you are running.  in the end, it feels like this is what you were designed to do.