I used to hate running. Like, really hate it. The idea of voluntarily making myself breathe hard and sweat seemed absurd when I could just walk everywhere or ride my bike. But last year, after spending way too many hours hunched over my laptop editing photos, my back started screaming at me. My doctor casually mentioned that running might help, and I figured I’d give it a shot for a month.
That month turned into a year, and now I can’t imagine my routine without it. Not because I’ve become some fitness fanatic, but because running in the city has completely changed how I experience the places I thought I knew. When you’re moving at that pace, somewhere between walking and cycling, you notice different things. The way shadows fall across certain streets at 7 AM. The smell of fresh bread from that bakery on Irving that I’d walked past a hundred times without really noticing.