There are days I can run without a conflict between my body and my mind. I lace up my running shoes, walk up to a wide sidewalk across the street, ten minutes stretching and off I go. I slowly take a deep breath as I bring up my right foot, press both of my upper arms to my side to block the wind from passing through. My arms up into dinosaur TRex arm position as Stu Mittleman wrote in his book, Slow Burning , When I land my right foot forward and lift my left foot, I am still in count 1. Into the third cycle I land my right foot forward, I complete three counts deep inhale, pause and deep exhale.
I visualize I have a butterfly in each of my close fist. As long as I feel their flutter wings I know I am in relaxed zone.
As I gradually pick up the speed I'm aware that I'm still breathing 3-1-3 cycle. I hear the wind whistles coming from the beach, I feel the sharp wind sting my face and sometimes I think I taste a salty air at the tip of my tongue. And the sound of wet sand crunch under my feet so delicious, it reminds me of keropok ikan Trengganu-fishy, oily, salty and crunchy stayed on my hand after the crackers long gone from the plate.
This morning, bracing the strong wind coming from the ocean I experience the same feeling. I run on boardwalk for about 15 minutes and head toward the beach. I pull up the hood to protect my ears and I run along the water teeth: pardon me for using this expression. But I love the sound of it. Water Teeth -gigi air in Malay, where the water stops and gracefully bows back to the sea.
On a day like this morning, the act of running feels effortless. But they are days my body resists to run or perhaps my mind influence my body. They are days I sit on the steps outside the front door and I collect every single strength from every part of me to get up and walk across the street. And I don't like those days.
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