Teen Ink

He sat in front of the computer screen and stared, but he saw nothing. The YouTube videos became a blur as he lost interest. He had to get out. Everything was dull; he felt lost and lifeless. So he laced up his Nikes.

He stepped out into the crisp winter air, the kind that burns your lungs and freezes your throat. He stepped off the porch and took off. He didn’t know where he was going, but he had to go; there was nothing for him here.

He ran at a brisk pace, his strides ­slowly coming into step with the beating of his heart. Each stride took him farther from home into the cold, but he felt warm. He ran through grass, on sidewalks and roads, across driveways, through neighborhoods and woods. He ran up and down hills, across bridges and streams. The cold pierced him like frozen needles, but he felt nothing. It began to snow, and the white crystals stung his cheeks. He could have, and should have, turned back, but he ran on toward some unknown destination.

His legs burned like fire, but he welcomed the heat; it brought him strength. He burned and burned until the fire began to dwindle away. Then he turned back.

Each step brought him closer to home, toward warmth, out of the cold. He ran through grass, on sidewalks and roads, across driveways, through neighborhoods and woods. He ran up and down hills, across bridges and streams. The cold bit into him like a wolf devouring its prey, and he ached.

The snow had stopped, but he still felt the sting of the tiny white flakes. His strength diminished as the cold dug deeper and deeper into him, trying to reach his fiery heart, but the coals of the fire kept him going, fighting back the chill. As the last glowing ember was losing its life, he arrived home.

His whole body ached. His calves were stone, his thighs lead. He sat down without any hope of getting back up. It was amazing, though, how he felt. He was rejuvenated, and the world had regained its color. For that short time, he had been free – away from people and computers and television. It liberated him, and once again he was full of life. He was proud of what he had done, though no one else took notice.

It is amazing what going for a run can do. It ­revitalizes the spirit, mind, and body, and provides an escape from life’s burdens.