Marshmallow Clouds

Running at night:
I am  floating on 
giant marshmallows beneath my feet
Propelling me upward and forward every time 
each  foot strikes the pavement

My body is heavy
And tired
But my feet aren’t
My shadow is moving fast
Faster than me

I am running 
Just to run
I do not have to run far
It is ok if I don’t run far
It is ok
If I never run a 10K as a college athlete
It is ok
To feel the grief of what was coming
Of what could have been
That I may never run a 5K faster than 18:28
Even though I know I could have

It is ok
If I don’t do what I could have done
Of what I maybe still could do if I pushed hard enough

Right now, just running is incredible.
It is soothing, freeing
It is 9:45 pm and I have not seen another person 
It is blissfully quiet
The late night summer air
Is kissing my skin

I know
And I feel
That healing hurts
That most things that are valuable to us
Require time,
Dedication,
Work

And it is also ok to just run
Stop using your GPS
And let your legs just take you where they want to go

It is ok to walk sometimes
This does not make you weak
Less than

You are competent
You are strong
You are brave
You are resilient
For doing this

There is no right or wrong way to run
Simply float on marshmallow clouds
Until you arrive where you needed to go.