Years ago, I used to run but I got busy and other things happened so I stopped. I’ve done other forms of exercise in the past 13 years since I was a runner, like yoga and walking, but I never sped up.
Well, today on the treadmill, I just felt it so I decided to trot a bit, and next thing I knew, I was going and going and didn’t want to stop.
My legs and shoulders became warm and I swear I heard my biceps thank me for waking them up. It brought my emotions and my heart back to years ago when I would run so fast and so far, I didn’t want to stop.
We lived on Shamrock Drive in Jacksonville, NC at the time, and I would wait until after I fed the boys dinner, they were done with tubs, and ready for bed. At the time, Baylee was a little tot. Once he fell asleep, Tye was in charge and I left out the front door, down the road, and back again.
I had this little iPod shuffle that clipped to my tank top. I didn’t carry my phone so my hands were free. I would play songs like “Whatever You Like” by T.I. and Lupe Fiasco’s “Superstar.” I’d run past barking dogs, diving bats, and copperheads, and I felt so alive.
Well, today, I felt alive, too. Awake. It’s like I have another chance to run. I don’t want to set goals yet, and I doubt I will ever be able to beat my twenty-four minute three miles from very many years ago, but I will try.
Teresa Forester Adams 