I normally only run alone, which I suppose is perhaps a metaphor for the life I live as a bachelor. But this afternoon I went for a good run with my roommate (well, one of them). Such a beautiful day to run, too. Temperature was about 16° C. and as can be plainly seen, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was a good hard run, and made a bit more interesting with the complement of conversation. Normally, I get lost in some sort of cerebral height, only to get knocked down by traffic.
Whether running or walking, time passes inexorably, without regard to those that walk in its ways. I am somewhat more aware of the time that passes while I run, often thinking that it isn't moving quite as fast as I'd like, but for the most part, it moves past me in a blur. Humans are fairly resourceful creatures, a quality I'd like to think that I possess, but the best we have been able to do with time is to make perceptual changes. Most find this less than satisfying, but of course it's the best that we have.
There is a certain sort of clarity that comes in a run, with it's clear objectives and straight forward execution that I find refreshing. The only point of contention in a run is the route and the speed, which are easily defined in scope by the runner's ability. But other than the vector, the only thing that's really needed is dogged determination. I don't always have this, but sometimes it's possible to cheat by making certain that there is some sort of pressing deadline or the distance is impractical to allow walking back. After that, life and running can almost be reduced to placing one foot in front of the other.
I once heard someone tell me jokingly that one should never trust a runner, that they are all running away from something. There's something to this, although I might have pointed out at the time that almost every runner I have met eventually turns back to the point of origination. You can only run so long...