Alex and I ran the Human Race Half Marathon today. He suggested that I compose my poem on the trail by contributing a word each mile (plus one at the start and end). Here are the words that summarized each mile for me.
Human Race Word-a-Mile
waiting
sweaty
breezy
seagull
ponds
cottonwoods
10k
steady
slower
M.C. Hammer
farther
boys
blank
almost
done
getting your feet wet
hiking I would totter
from tiny rock to tippy log
desperately trying to keep warm and dry
arms flailing
inevitably ending up
in the drink
but jogging here
in the meltwater mudseason days
there’s no way around it
gotta go through it
let the cold soggy seep in
then run your body warm
striding through the rushing
asphalt-path-turned-beaver-dam-outlet
there’s a shivery freedom
to not turning around
a satisfying slap and splash
to each saturated stride
we keep going together
fortified by mud
