[Editor’s Note: This Community Voices submission is from Angie Funtanilla, a lifelong runner, writer, and thinker. Angie works as a financial advisor and lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, home of plenty of trees to hug and trails to roam.]
Attentive in my forward gaze,
Breath in rhythm
With arms that propel forward and
Feet that strike pavement
I hear nothing except the exhale
And the swish of arms against a nylon jacket
Torso straightens, legs lift higher,
A stronger stride
For this final stretch
Eyes water from
the icy air
And an unquenchable
Fire
in the belly
Chest rising from an inner strength
And a heart
That has put in the work
For the moment
This now,
Which is all I have
Which holds the possibility
For all I can be
Right here,
Right now,
Not tomorrow
This is it
The moment to push,
To notice how
Breath is synchronized with arms
That move in concert with legs
That are juiced from lungs and heart,
These organs
I cherish,
These pieces of me I tend to
With care, attention and
Devotion
For one day,
The legs shall betray me
And my WILL,
No longer sufficient enough
To rise, to ready, to run.
Until then I shall go,
I shall run on and taste the
Delight of the crisp air,
Cherish the numbing of fingertips
And a sharpening of my eyes.
I will absorb the steep hills
And mighty climbs
They are an anguish all their own,
Teachers of a different class.
My mind is my notebook,
And, I,
Am taking it all in.
I shall appreciate the foot strike
That leads me forward,
That shows progress from here to there
And finally
To
Home
Call for Comments
- Why do you run?
- Can you articulate your thoughts in either a tangible or abstract way on how running looks, feels, or is for you?
Photo: Angie Funtanilla
