I Run

Am I a runner? I'm not sure I would call myself that. But I realized something this morning when I walked out into the dense summer air just before the sun had broken the horizon - since I began tracking my workouts exactly one year ago on my Nike+GPS app on my iPhone, I've run 553.4 miles.

Does that make me a runner? Maybe, I don't know. I do know that I've changed over the past year, both physically and mentally. First of all, I've dropped more than 40 pounds and have kept it off. That certainly feels great. But more importantly, I've started to find myself again. Running has had that strange effect on me. The reality is that it's only you, the pavement and how far you're willing to push yourself. That gives you a lot of time to think and appreciate what you have. I've never really been a "me-time" kind of guy, but I've grown to appreciate that hour or two each day at 6:00 a.m. with my thoughts rattling around my brain.

Running has also allowed me to truly appreciate the world around me. I've seen some incredible things and run in some amazing places. I've seen the sun rise over the Washington Monument while jogging the National Mall and jackrabbits scurrying across cactus lined trails outside of Phoenix. I've seen pods of dolphins swimming alongside me in Biscayne Bay and manatees and their calves surfacing for air along the seawall on Brickell Key. I've run on the beaches of Sanibel Island and climbed the Rickenbacker Causeway countless times on my way to Key Biscayne.

Am I runner? I don't think so. I do it because I have to. I do it for my wife and my three year old son. I do it for me. I do it because it's become part of my Brickell Life.