Bodies in Motion

It wasn't the prettiest thing you'd ever see, but I did finish the Shamrock 8k run in Virginia Beach. Not only did I finish, but I ran the whole thing, which is more than I thought I could do. And ran it in a respectable 50 minutes. I really enjoyed the run, especially when I realized how many ordinary people participated in it and the half marathon the following day. I watched as people of all ages and sizes and abilities and speeds made their way across the finish line and I don't know that I have seen many things as encouraging as that. I was worried that I would embarrass myswlf, that I would be caught in a swell of very serious runners leaving my lumbering and chugging away behind, but it just wasn't the case. And if it had been, if I had struggled, as some did, the crowd was gracious and encouraging. It's pretty nice to feel that a group of total strnagers want you to succeed, want you to push yourself, want you to just make it across the finish line. What is it about applause that feels so good? How is it that two hands clapping together suddenly make the impossible seem possible? I can't say that I'll ever be dedicated and determined enough to make running a true hobby, but I think I'd like to work my way up to a half marathon. You see I misjuged the body. I forgot that there is glory in the strength of the body and that accomplishments aren't only made through thought, but through action. There is something, more than something poetic about a body moving.