Dear Long Runs,

I miss you. I really do. I know a month and a half ago when it would rain/sleet/snow/hail while I tried to run with you I said I hated you. I said I was tired of you. I said I thought after April 19th maybe we should spend some time apart. I admit most of the time these past two months, I really didn't enjoy our time together. I found you controlling, overbearing and harsh. You dominated my time, my schedule, my legs and in the end contributed to a lot of heartbroken Saturday afternoons. On many an occasion, the last month in particular, you made me feel bad and had me questioning myself. I felt like you turned your back on me and to be honest, I resented you for it.

But here it is a few weeks later and I am missing you. I miss the kind of quiet mental reflection that comes from my feet striking the ground rhythmically early in the morning on a quiet trail together. I miss getting out on an early morning and moving farther then most people move in a week. I miss how my muscles and bones can be totally exhausted but my mind, energized. A lot of people tell me I need to find something else. Forget all about you, move on and just rest. But how could I ever do such a thing? Throughout much of the great times and most horrific times in my life, you've been there. You've kept me sane and grounded when I thought I might not make it another day. You've seen me through.

And I thank you for it.