Day 280: Cold Weather Running

It's 5:40AM.
I (somehow) am awake.
I am committed to this idea.
Me, a runner, again.
I leave the warmth of covers and soft bedsheets.
It's time to start moving.
It's time to begin.

It's 5:50AM.
This familiar feeling,
Of pulling up my insulated tights,
The layering of a tank top and a long sleeve running shirt.
Tying my shoes feels like home.
I gather my keys and my gloves.
Headed out on this adventure.
It's not even light out yet.
And yet here I am.

It's 6:01AM.
The cold is creeping into my chest.
Insulated jacket, barely helps.
Thank God there isn't any wind.
Sidewalks and overhead street lights.
No characters out yet.
Too early for the homeless.
Headlights, tail lights.
Blurry vision.
Cold.

It's 6:10AM.
I stop for a minute to walk.
And try to warm my hands.
I can barely feel them.
I wiggle my toes, and start running again.
Passing by familiar buildings in the dark.
"It's times like this that I'm afraid,
Of the darkness in my heart, hurricane."
Music pumping in my ears.
I need to keep going.
It's cold.
I need the warmth.

It's 6:14AM.
I can see my breath at the stop lights.
I stand still,
Unlike other runners jogging in place.
It's too dark to see my mountains yet.
Dim street lights above me.
Familiar paths make it easy to zone out.
The coiling and un-coiling of my muscles,
like steel snakes in my legs.
I move like it's familiar to me.
Because it is,
And I know where I am going.

It's 6:22AM.
Running always feels the same at first.
Hard, stiff, and sore.
Rounding corners and watching the sunrise.
A fiery yellow sun clawing its way into the sky.
Imagining this sun is warming my cold limbs.
My mind wanders in the tired cold.
I still hear the whispers of conversations,
When I am not around.
I guess some runs are harder than others.
Alone.
Me and the road.
And a fierce sunrise.

It's 6:37AM.
I turn around at the end of the road,
My mountains come into view.
They look cold and dimly lit.
They are just like me.
Time to go back where I came from.
Face the long road.
Decide what you want to be,
And go be it.
I feel strong now.
Pick up the pace.
Engage with the cold.
Stronger than this.

It's 6:44AM.
I am almost home.
My town coming alive as the sun rises.
Strangers fueling up their cars,
At stop lights en-route to work,
The hustle and bustle of the morning.
The streets feel more alive at this hour.
It's time to begin the day.
But my day began an hour ago.
The last paces before,
I zigzag across the street.
Walking up the steps to my building.
It's still cold,
But I know inside it is warm.
I am home.