Running Is Freedom

running is freedom The only thing better than running six miles on a beautiful day is  . . . knowing that you can.

I was just back in my hometown for a few days and woke up to mid-70’s with a partly sunny sky.  I sat on the back patio with dad for a while before contemplating what I would do next.  That’s when I remembered, “Hey, I could run.”

It sounds simple, but as recent as two years ago, the words that would have likely popped into my head were, “Hey, I could take a nap!”  Instead, I went into route-planning-mode and my body was a race horse anxious to get out of the gate.

I could go anywhere I wanted.  A buddy’s house across town, Big Hill Park, my old grade school. So many options and each of those seemingly benign treks became electrifying because I had never explored Beloit, Wisconsin by run.

The thought was new.  It was fresh.  And I couldn’t wait to see all of the simplest little things I’d experienced a thousand times before, but from the window of a car.a80d028c-eb1f-4529-883f-f95225a3a28b-boating-on-the-rock-river-in-beloitI cruised by the Boy’s Club on the bike path next to our vividly green neighborhood golf course.  I fearlessly dove into “the hood” and discovered progress in the form of yet another new bike path.  I crossed the bridge to the east side and ran along the immaculate riverfront into downtown.  I was amazed by the run and bike luxuries that never existed when I was a kid.

I chugged past my childhood church, the sight of my first Little League practice, and the middle school that is no longer there.  The memories flourished as I passed Tommy Johnson’s childhood home then lumbered up Lincoln Heights to my parent’s driveway.

Before I knew it, I was back on my patio, sitting in peaceful meditation as sweat dried from the backyard breeze.  It was one of the simplest, yet most gratifying hometown tours I’d taken in my life.

Running is freedom.  Just grab your shoes and go.  It’s an expression that reminds me of how I felt tearing through local fields on my dirt bike as a child.  Nothing is off limits, and more than ever, I understand how running is an art of being one with the soul of a city.Big Hill Park Beloit, WisconsinSubscribe to this blog by email or follow me on Twitter @miketarrolly