The Line

I am a runner. I run not only because I love to and want to, but because I need to and have to. Running keeps me sane. There is nothing that can calm my nerves like a heart-pounding, breath-taking, muscle-burning run. My run is something  I control completely. I am in charge of how quickly my feet bounce off the pavement and the depth of my breathe as my lungs scream for air. I decide how long I will run and how fast I will run. The intensity, speed, pace, time, power; those are all my choices. Running is an art. Abstract and beautiful, it is open to interpretation. My interpretation is my run itself. It is the excitement I feel when I start a run. It is the endurance I feel as I push myself to be better. It is the onset of fatigue that starts in my legs and creeps it's way up my body, demanding rest and refuel. Then its the dare to keep going, not to fight through the pain but to accept it, to use it. I let it lay on me and push me. And only when the line between pain and pleasure has been blurred, do I stop.