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…..