Reason for running number...heck...I've lost track...

I've never felt so much like the fellow in this commercial as I did this week. Stressful stuff, lots of worry, things eating away at me. Today I went for a run that was amazing and cleansing. I only went a bit over 3 miles, but it was a tempo run and I pushed the pace pretty hard. I don't think I've run as fast as I did today in a long, long time, if ever! I prayed as I ran, praying for peace and encouragement and hope. About a half mile in, I slipped into that elusive state of "flow", where everything going on in my head seems completely separate from my body...my body is running, but it feels effortless and as if I'm just floating along. The clarity of thinking I have in those rare moments is unreal. It's like a waking dream-state, but I'm fully alert, even hyper-alert, to my surroundings. If you've never experienced a moment like this, you probably think I've gone off the deep end. But for those that have been there, you know what I'm talking about.

I ran, fast and hard. It wasn't that I was running away from my problems. I was running head-on, straight into them, considering them, praying about them, focusing on them, dealing with them...and then breaking free as they washed away.

It was one of the best runs I've ever had. Running is my therapy. It clears my head, it gives me a chance to focus my prayers, to focus my thoughts, to cleanse away the junk. It was just what I needed. Thank you, Lord, for giving me running, and for giving me this run.