The Runner’s High, 7 Versions
Version 1-5 were written right before a 6 mile run. Versions 6 and 7, after.
VERSION ONE
Sometimes when I run
I breathe in deeply.
As my chest rises
so does my heart
and my head
and my shoulders.
I feel vast
expansive
generous.
I am open
to love
to joy
to possibility.
I want to spread my arms wide
and embrace the world.
But I don’t.
It takes up too much space
and would alter my gait.
Instead, I shape my feelings into a smile
that spreads across my face
and extends all the way to my toes.
VERSION TWO
Sometimes when my run is going well, a sense of euphoria spreads through my body. As it extends to the tips of my fingers and to the pit of my stomach, I feel an urge to spread my arms wide, throw back my head and run without fear.
VERSION THREE
Sometimes when I run, I am transformed into someone who feels joy first, not fear. Who is open, not closed. Who wants to spread their arms wide, embracing the world. When I feel like this, I smile to myself. A smile so deep that it reaches all the way to my toes.
VERSION FOUR
What does the runner’s high feel like? It feels like Love. Joy. Generosity. Possibility. An open door. A vulnerable body, stretching out and dissolving into the vastness of the world.
VERSION FIVE
The runner’s high. Feelings of love, joy, generosity and possibility that transform vulnerability into openness, enabling the body to stretch out and dissolve into the vastness of the universe.
VERSION SIX
I want to spread my arms wide and embrace the world. But I don’t. It takes up too much space. It would alter my gait. Besides, when running, you don’t fly with your arms, you fly with your feet. And you don’t embrace the world with a hug but with a breath.
VERSION SEVEN
To be combined with Version One.
Other times when I run
I breathe in deeply
I fill my lungs with the world
while rhythmically pumping my arms.
I feel strong
fluid
effortless.
I am flying
over the path
above the world
under the dazzling blue sky.
I take in everything and become nothing
as I breathe in and out .