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.
Your poem makes me want to run. Sometimes I dream of running.
Really love this. I love how it comes back to just running, not always using the gps, it being ok to walk.
I did a 5k last weekend, but more as a run walk combo and I liked being there and finishing it. I didn’t even notice what my time was.
Glad you have found some marshmallow clouds. Lovely poem.