Thoughts on Running

I started running as a reaction to the road. Before I moved to Saipan, I use to commute 65 miles one way to work everyday. Traffic and long commutes to work became a daily routine. Actually, it is a way of life out here in Southern California. I was so busy working that I had put on 10 pounds over a year without noticing. I was just too tired to exercise after work. One day, I looked at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t fat but I wasn’t healthy either. That’s the day I bought my first pair of running shoes, and I haven’t quit running since.

I started running 20 miles a week and I lost the weight fast. I feel so much sharper now. I consider myself a beginner, but I like that. I enjoy it more when I feel like I’m learning a lot. My shoes are the one of two things I’ll take everywhere with me. The other is my ipod.

I went running with the Sacros at Mile Square Park in Orange County. Michael and I sprinted towards the end and I almost won. We ran a good four miles tonight. While I was running I thought about my morning run in Saipan. There is a trail on Beach Road that I run every other morning. I get up just before sunrise, drive down to Beach Rd and start running.

Running has been a safe haven for me. It’s my time to reflect. It's quite addicting actually. Early morning it’s quiet, the water is like glass, and as the sun comes up her coral rays scatter across the ocean. I look around and think, what a luxury.

Sometimes I hate getting up at 6 am for a run after being up so late. But I tell myself I can go back to bed as soon as I’m done. Usually, I’m dumb enough to believe it.