"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

A Morning Person

I am, and have always been, a morning person.

Non-morning people will likely not be interested in this entry as they consider me and those like me to be at best, anomalies of nature. We, who willingly choose to not only awaken and arise before the sun, but indeed to get outside and run for God’s sakes, must surely suffer from some sort of genetic flaw.

Genetics could very well figure into this behavior. Conceivably it was my earliest ancestors who were tasked with the responsibility of arising early to insure there might indeed be something to eat or perhaps more importantly, that they themselves did not become something to eat.

Whatever the reason, there is something I find incredibly special about the pre-dawn hour. There is a sense of solitude and quiet which I don’t find in any other part of the day and to immerse myself in it while running is something I’ve come to treasure.

The early fall mornings, like the one today, are particularly enjoyable as the darkened skies are filled with more and more recognizable constellations. Orion, Ursa Major and Cassiopeia to name but a few, act as brightly shining beacons for those of us who run the early morning roads and trails.

Ask any runner to tell you some of the things they love about the sport and invariably you will hear something akin to, “I do some of my best thinking while I’m running.”

When I first began, I had a very difficult time wrapping my head around this concept but over the years, I’ve come to realize and appreciate the raw truth of this idea. And during this time of the year when the skies offer such a beautiful and mysterious backdrop, this impression becomes clearer still.

“I do not run to add days to my life - I run to add life to my days.” - Ronald Rook

No comments: