Today, I ran at the park where I first started running since college. It was 8 in the morning, the sun was out, but the heat was bearable. I appreciated the shade from the trees as well as the cool air that the pond provided. It was a recovery run of 33 minutes; I listened to the guided run on Nike Run Club titled “Running on Empty with Headspace.” This motivational guidance reminded me to take it easy on myself, be proud of my achievements and efforts for starting the run, and recognize the strength I have to run smart and strong.

This run allowed me to reconnect with my past selves. There have been many hours that I ran here; I ran angry, I ran sad, I ran to let out my frustration, and I haven’t run with any clear purpose or a race goal—just a way to vent my energy and release my emotions. Now, I ran here as a more mature version of myself, with much more calm and wisdom. May there be many more happy runs here. I stopped for a moment to appreciate the journey I took to get here, to run at this park once again.

My shoulder was a bit tense throughout the run. The effort was decent but could have been better. I reminded myself to eat something and drink more for the morning run, sleep well, and maybe run a little earlier. I need to run more in the morning, as most races take place in the early hours.