I just read Kristin Armstrong's blog post from today and I am compelled to share. The last line of her post, in particular, is like poetry to me:
There is something magical about running; after a certain distance, it transcends the body. Then a bit further, it transcends the mind. A bit further yet, and what you have before you, laid bare, is the soul.
This is how I feel about running. It is magical for me. It strips me of all the unnecessary muck that clouds my vision, my perspective of myself and of the world around me. It allows me to float, to be free of negativity and full of grace and gratitude. No strings attached.
This magic is not only why I run, but why I run marathons. In my experience there is just something about that distance that sets it apart from shorter races (I really cannot wait to run an ultra some day, by the way). When you are out there running for hours and hours, in order to overcome the pain you have to transcend beyond the physical and the mental. It can be scary, going to your edges like that, but the beauty and magic is that when you do you come face to face with who you are and you find out that you are so much more than you ever dreamed possible.
I am so excited for my marathon in 10 days!!