 |
| Navigational Art and Directions By Colleen Yorke, © 2017. |
"Life begins at
the end of our comfort zone"
For me, a lot has
changed, since I started running last year. I associated running with a form of
freedom, a way of choosing to let go. In reality, running is so much more than
that. Running gives us a sense of clarity, of being alive in that moment, of
idyllic nirvana. For many of us, running becomes a lifelong commitment.
 |
| Robert "Raven" Kraft. |
In 1975 a young man
with shoulder long black hair joined a group of boxers for a 1 mile run on the
Miami Beach for the first time. He has run every day ever since. Nicknamed the
Raven, the man has seen every sunset for the past thirty nine years from a
strip of sand now called South Beach, always starting from the 5th Street Lifeguard
Station at 5:30 pm. Over the years runners from all age groups and backgrounds
have joined "Raven" in his 8 miles' morning ritual.
From being clueless
about pacing or distance running a year before, I started this year burning
through a new pair of shoes and 500 miles of running in 70 days. Running pushes
us to defy limits. We are in control of our life. We learn to celebrate the
moment, but for some of us running also teaches a valuable life lesson. With
commitment and discipline we pass mile markers and new finish lines. Instead of
letting go, we train to attain new heights. With the blow of a whistle we blaze
through distances we considered impossible, walls we considered indestructible.
Last night a friend asked me whether I planned to run another marathon this
year. Like many others, he has watched me race the Los Angeles Marathon doing
split times of 7:23 minutes per mile for the first 13 miles. The answer is a
resounding "Yes". As our feet hit the road again, 500 miles from
home, on the other other side of fear, we discover, life begins.
