Aside from the fact that I positively hate the activity, I found no hesitation in my decision to do so. As soon as I awoke from my (quite pitiful) six-hour slumber, I knew that there was no other option but to run that morning. So, I crawled out of bed, brushed my teeth, slipped into my new Nike shoes that had already begun to collect dust (I had not taken them off the shoe rack since it was initially purchased) and drove to the nearest running strip I could find.
The weather was less than ideal--cloudy, sprinkling rain here and there--and with only two other people present at this specific hour of the morning (8:15 AM). But I took the obstacles like a champ, put on my "Punch Pain in the Face" playlist, and worked my way up to a nice, steady pace.
Now, this particular anecdote is not as much about an early (for me) morning jog, as it is about my nostalgic thoughts about other people--one specific person actually.
I had pondered over my first (real) relationship and my overall regret for it. What an exceedingly embarrassing period of my life, I thought to myself.
But I could not deny that it was pleasant at times. To wake up and look forward to somebody. To daydream of our future together. And to work hard for a person that I, at that particular point in time, may actually have loved. When you are overcome with such infatuation, the world--and I say this without trying to sound like I worked in a cheese factory for 35 years of my life--is more meaningful. You essentially gain a different purpose in life. And all the preconceptions you had about yourself and where you are meant to be change completely. Suddenly, you are not living for yourself, but for another person. And not in a nasty or burdensome way, but rather, you get the impression that you are living for something greater than you can ever be by yourself. As I turned the curve and began the last stretch of road before me and my finish line, these were the kinds of thoughts that filled my mind.
Alas, we were never meant to be. But, for what it's worth, it was definitely a good run. And that, I truly cannot deny.