As spring is in the air I see more and more runners out. My fitness magazines are filled with articles on running, how to achieve your best time, what to wear while running, what are the best running shoes and what to eat before and after running. It appears the rest of the world is running but 0.0 I am not a runner.

I am not a runner nor do I pretend to like running. However, I do have respect for runners and those who go beyond just running to completing marathons. In fact my best friend is a runner and even completed an Ironman, though I love her I do not love her hobby.

0.0 I am not a runner.

Even though my boobs may be the size of misquito bites I still hate the bouncing and tugging of my skin I feel as I scamper along the sidewalk or treadmill. While running my mind always seems to match the speed of my feet, racing with thoughts that never seem to come full circle. Did I mention I am also not a huge fan of sweating? What produces more sweat than running? I am not sure, but count me out. I also managed to find, date and marry a man that also despises the act of running. I’ve actually witnessed my husband saying the words, “If there were a hell and I was doomed to be there, it would be running on a treadmill for me.”

0.0 I am not a runner.

My thighs would probably be smaller, my stamina might be stronger if I were a runner. I would probably have one of those really awesome runner bodies but woe is me that is never meant to be.  Those triumphant selfies with marathon numbers and stats are tempting but it’s just not for me. I’d probably have more in common at dinner parties if I liked running but that is so not me.

0.0 I am not a runner.

Runners don’t get all crazy on my non-running ass, because I get where you are coming from. Runners talk about a runners high, your high just comes in a different form for me … a yogi high.

0.0 I am not a runner BUT I am a Yogi.

Yoga is my running. My high comes not in the form of my feet pounding pavement but in the lengthening of my hamstrings through a Downward Facing Dog. Or in the tightening of my shoulder blades through a Swan Dive. Or in the expansion of my chest as I concentrate on my breath as it fills my belly. Or in the stretch of my mind. Or in the spread of my toes against the mat in a Warrior stance. This high overtakes my being, renewing the person I am and bringing every feeling and thought to peace.

0.0 I am not a runner BUT I am a Yogi.

Yoga has come to be the most grounding part of my life, I take refuge in the energy and comfort it brings me. My mat is where 75% of my writing begins as my thoughts, ideas, emotions and experiences all reach clarity and align with one another. The mat to me is what the trail is to a runner. Instead of working towards a new PR number I am in pursuit of a new pose or level of difficulty. Rather than working on form I am working on my pose.

0.0 I am not a runner BUT I am a Yogi.

No need for drooling over the latest shoes when my bare feet love the slightly sticky grip of my mat. I love reading about yoga and get all warm and fuzzy when my Yoga Journal arrives in the mailbox. I look forward to my yoga classes with as much zeal as if they were vacations in a tropical utopia. I am a much better human being when I get to do my yoga.

0.0 I am not a runner BUT I am a Yogi.