Our Tales of Two Cities: Run, Casey, Run

For as long as I can remember, running has been an important part of my life. It started with travel soccer. I wasn’t the best soccer player, but I could run. I basically relied on kicking the ball as far down the field as possible and chasing after it. Fast forward to high school where the majority of my time was spent training for indoor and outdoor track meets. If I wasn’t training for them then I was selling Krispy Kreme donuts to raise money for the track team. I hit a minor running snag freshman year of college when I decided to forego running and instead dedicated myself to eating those Krispy Kreme donuts that I had previously been selling. Twenty pounds later and I decided that it might be a good time to put back on the running shoes.

I remember that when I was in college and would call my parents with my latest crisis (car problems, boy problems, money problems, etc) and my dad would answer the phone and listen to me cry, he would quickly say, “Go for a run. You will feel better.” And I would (not so sweetly) say back, “You don’t know what you are talking about, Dad! How is running supposed to make me feel better?! Put Mom on the phone!” Now that I am older and much wiser (right, Dad) I would have to say that he actually did know what he was talking about the entire time. Don’t they always. I realize now that one of the first things that I do when I have a problem, or am stressed, or need a break from everything, is to go for a run. I calm down and think clearer; I listen to good music and remind myself that life is short and I would be crazy not to enjoy every moment; I feel good about myself and the fact that while I can’t always fix everything – I can run.

With everything that has happened over the past couple of years in my life, running has helped me. I have run on the city streets of Arlington, Virginia and Washington DC, the beaches of Corpus Christi, Texas, the suburban neighborhoods of Milton, Florida, and now on the harbor in San Diego, California. I have discovered that while I am excited to run with a running partner, I prefer to run alone. I cherish that time to myself. I have discovered that my ultimate favorite time to run is the early morning. I get up before the sun has risen and join my other morning running friends. Or at least that is what I have come to think of the early risers that I see each morning, feeling an immediate bond with anyone else that is out exercising with the moon.

I take my time. I stop and look around and wonder what the day will bring. I smile.

And since this is such an important part of my life, I wanted to share it with you. Here are some pictures that I took on one of my runs last week.

(True confession: These were taken on an evening run. Sometimes I enjoy sleeping in!)