The constant patter of feet reaches my ears and I am comforted. The unsteady breaths are an unlikely, yet peaceful, companion. The rustle of trees overhead combined with the flutter of leaves below are a beautiful quiet in a world of treacherous noise. I urge my feet forward; my arms follow every step in a graceful motion; my ponytail swishes from side to side as I work to hold my head steady; my sweat rolls down my skin; my head is swimming in an ocean of contemplative thought; and I finally feel free. I’m free from the pressure, the noise, the fear. While I may be running, I am not running from these things for I know they come with living, but I am running for myself, for the joy that alleviates the pain that comes free with a subscription to life.
Running on wooded trails is where I am the most content. The scenic route, I have found, is the best way to take. If your mind wanders somewhere it is not allowed, somewhere that causes pain, there is beauty all around to push the pain out so that goodness can dominate in your mind. Beauty mends the beaten-down soul, and the trails are beauty, so the trails mend my soul.
Through running I have found myself and my happiness. Running gives me great gifts: serenity and hope. For me, running is so much more than exercise, especially on beautiful trails. For me, running is an escape. For me, running is contentment.





















