Running is liberty. All through the bad times, all through the sad times, every step I ran was a catharsis. It was a way to feel that there was miles between me and the hurt. It gave me the strength I needed to return, to surrender my soul back into the cage... until the next time... until the next sense of running over muddy tracks and fields.
The day I chose to run it was something of an accident, yet I ended up on the school cross-country team all the same. I was bored of walking up a large hill with my friends and wanted to get back to the changing rooms all the faster for a nice hot shower. I was second that day. Then I started to actually try because I realised I was good at something people respected. After that I was first every time.
When I'd run, when my soles felt the earth and gained their own rhythm, my thoughts became lyrics - my own original track had the chance to play for its audience of one.
There were a lot of obese people in my family, and quite few skinny fit ones too. Choosing to run and keep running was the best choice I could make for my present and future. I'm glad I did.
Once you get in the zone, to run is a form of whole-body meditation. Your thoughts can go places they couldn't before. It is one of the many keys available to unlock the imagination.