A friend of mine from my high school years recently made the move from New York to Montreal. In doing so, she penned a break-up letter so that New York would know how she felt. Now, I realize that I must say goodbye to something, as well. In that vein, I present to you, my own letter:
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Dear Running,
It was good to see you again last night. I know that it had been a while, but I needed to get out of the house and there you were. I know that it was a bit awkward for us at first, but we made the most of it. You always manage to take my breath away.
How long have we been seeing each other? Seriously?! Over 15 years. Wow! I sure have learned a lot from you in that time. And really, I’ve learned a lot about myself, too. You’ve always pushed me further than I thought I could go… and I appreciate that. A lot of times, I got to where I was because of you…and most of those times, “where I was” was the same place that I had started. Isn’t it crazy the way our relationship continues to come full circle?

So here’s the thing….I don’t think I can see you any more. I know it sounds like a cliche’ but you need to know that it’s not you, it’s me. Seriously, you just don’t know how much it hurts me every time we meet. And it’s not just when we meet…I’m left with this deep aching for days after our encounters.
When I was young and wild, I could handle our blitzing pace. I enjoyed the ups and downs along our journey. But, alas, I’m not young anymore. You beckon me to follow at a pace that I can no longer reach. The “ups” in our relationship break me so that I can no longer enjoy the “downs”.
And let’s be honest. We both have others that we’re seeing. I’ve never said anything about your friends because I was afraid that you’d notice mine. But now we can admit it. I’ve become reliant upon another to give me strength. The elliptical machine is kind, gentle, and smooth. That’s what my old body needs. And there are lots of young, vivacious runners out there that can meet your needs. I know that you’ll bounce back.
I’ll never forget the good times we had together. There was that time that you helped me finish 4th in my region in the 800m run. (Which made me the second alternate to the state track meet. ) And that time at the Run4 Missions when I finished first in my age group. I’ll always remember that time we strolled along the beach during our vacation. Those times memories will live on.
Don’t think of this so much as “goodbye”, but more of “see you later”. I’ll still drop in from time-to-time, but we both know that we could never go back to the way it was.
I’ll miss you deeply,
