The Run

It was early dawn. The sun was just peeking out from beyond the horizon. The alarm beeped loudly and the clock read 6:05. She reached to turn the alarm off and pushed the covers off her legs. She dressed quickly and ran out the door.

The wind had a chill that she hadn’t expected, but she decided to run her usual route anyways. She turned east towards the rising sun and started to run at a nice easy pace.

Her goal was the big hill 10 miles off, but she wasn’t even halfway there when she began to tire. Her calves burned with a fierce intensity and she felt a side stitch coming on. The wind nipped and bit at her nose and she had to force her lungs to take in air. Still, she pushed on and let the sights and sounds of the country soothe her.

For miles all she could she was the wheat and the meadow, with a farm spotted here or there. Off in the distance she could see the beauty of the majestic mountains.

All around her was the sound of crickets chirping, singing their love song. Ever so faintly, she could hear cows mooing in the pastures.

With the smell of coming rain, she got her second wind. She pushed harder and ran faster. The rain came lightly at first, but by the time she reached the top of the hill it was pouring.

She stopped at the top. She was drenched with sweat and drenched with rain. Her chest burned and her whole body ached. But as she looked at the country from the top of her hill, she had never felt so alive.