Sometimes she runs beside me….
Sometimes she runs behind me….
Sometimes she runs before me….
Each step I take, I follow her.
Pondering her every motion and appearance.
For where she is and what is she doing.
How much longer can my shadow keep up….
Is she falling behind or getting in front?
It’s a close race.
I hear the crush of shoes scuffing the sidewalk. The light moves and my shadow disappears.
I run without her.
In the quiet.
In the dark.
I wait.
And she appears as I pass under the next beam of fluorescent.
She looks more confident than me. Like she could run forever.
But I know I can’t. I have another minute.
I wish for her strength.
Two more shadows emerge from the front and the back.
There are three of us running in sync.
Our own little club.
In time, they drop away and it’s just the two of us again.
Running….. and ……breathing.
Breathing….. and ……running.
Into the night.
Under the lights.
With one goal in mind.
To finish what we started.
My 5K is Saturday….I have trained three out of the five weeks I had to prepare. Considering that, I am pretty happy with where I am at. My biggest success was leaving the treadmill and running with my shadow in the evening. It is my peace, my time, and my sanity. I hope to keep night running until I *do* finish my goal of a marathon. Looks like me, and my shadow will log a lot of miles. I can’t wait…..
Good luck to you and your shadow on your 5K! I also just started running and did my first 5K run last December. I am now aiming to do a 10K run soon.
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Jewel- That is awesome! I was up to a half-marathon five years ago. I am ready to get back up to speed. Don’t stop at the 10K, do a half after you complete it. It’s an incredible feeling. 🙂
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I love this. Just love it.
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Thank-you….it came from heart (and my running shoes). 🙂
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This was excellent, and I hope you do great on Saturday!
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Thank-you, I’ll take all the cheers I can get. 🙂 I appreciate it.
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Angelia, I am just so impressed! I didn’t know you were a runner! I’m really wanting to do something like this in the near future.
Something I really enjoy about your blogging is that there is not only visual creativity and aesthetic expression in your photographs, but you have often times combined it with your heartfelt writing like this. It’s the “total package”!
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Oh my gosh, Tiffanie! Thank YOU. That’s the best compliment ever. It means so much to receive comments like this. Makes all the blog time worth it. Truly!
I am a very slow runner with lots of walk breaks. Hopefully, with weightloss, I’ll be smaller and faster. 😉
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Got me singing “Me and my shadow…” lol You can DO IT!!!!!!!!! You’re far more brave than me…maybe one day I’ll man up…
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Great post! Good luck on your run!
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Love the first image, great idea!!!
Also, good luck with your run this Saturday!! Hopefully all the training and hard work will pay off 🙂
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greetings by

my friend Klaas and his shadow
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I love this! Good luck with the 5K…you go, girl!
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Good luck tomorrow!
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AH! Good luck!!! This is the butt run in Arlington, right?
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Good luck with your run on Saturday!
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This was so beautifully written.
Good luck my friend!!!
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Beautiful writing and photos…I could feel why you enjoy running and how you feel while doing it, your focus.
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Amazing, as always, and again, Good luck tomorrow!
We’re all cheering for you!
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Ahhh to be young and energetic. And disciplined. Good luck!
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hope to meet you at
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/weekly-photo-challenge-a-archive/
+
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I am so proud of you! I know you can do it!
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Good for you – best of luck!!! You post today is so poetic – really well done! It is what it is like to run. Solitary and your mind getting creative.
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You not only have a way with photos, but also a way with words! Loved this! Good luck with your 5K tomorrow, I’ll be cheering you on from IL =)
I also wanted to thank you for all of your comments these past few days. Your words have meant so much to me!
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A great blog entry again Angelia awesome post 🙂
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This was a great post. So cute! I thought it was really original! (I am reading it too late to wish you luck on your run.)
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Incredible photos and words to accompany them. It (almost) makes me want to run too – only my klutzy side deters me!
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