I Don't Know You

I don't know you.

I don't know why you run or how long you've been running. I don't know what races you've done or if you have even done any at all. I don't know what your normal pace is and I don't know what kind of injuries you have suffered through running.

But we belong to the same running group and today we will spend the next hour together. We run side by side, lock in at a comfortable pace, and we match our strides and our breaths. Twenty minutes into this run, you tell me about your running experiences, your best runs, your injuries, your race mishaps.

I don't know you.

I don't know where you're from and what your childhood was like. I don't know what you do for a living, if you are married, and if you have children. I don't know what makes you happy and what difficult times you have been through. We're not even from the same generation. We don't even have the same skin colour and the same religion. We have different and maybe conflicting values, morals, and life plans.

But today we are running together and we are now forty minutes into this run. Our breathing is still synchronized and we've picked up the pace a little. You begin to tell me about your spouse and your children. You can't wait for your upcoming trip. You are going through a tough time in your personal life and you share that with me. You recently got a promotion at work and are excited about the new challenges you are facing.

I still don't know you. But for one hour, during our run, it felt like I did.

Good run, see you next Sunday.

This is why I run.

After 3 years, I know these guys!