Running is tangible.
The feel of my skin. The pulsing, itching, burning, dripping. The sting of the cold against cheeks warmed from the inside out. I feel the road through every step. Heel, arch, toes, pushing, fluid. Muscles burning, tightening then settling into a rhythm.
Smells abound. Fresh cut grass, hot garbage, rain about to let loose on the earth, hot pavement, wet pavement, trees in bloom, a horse pasture. Sucking wind in and out through my mouth and nose, I can't help but smell life all around. Sometimes too, I smell death. In a few more steps the smell will change again.
I listen to music sometimes. Fast, slow, uplifting, contemplative-it doesn't matter the beat for speed. The sound just has to match my mood while step after step I continue on to log the miles.
Then there is prayer. When I run, I pray. It's not a super spiritual experience, it's just me and God. Even when I run with friends I'm including him in the conversation. I run one through my mouth and one in my head. Sometimes I run and pray aloud with friends. It's not super spiritual except that it is. Running is holy. It's just me and God.
God is not tangible. Yet, some of my most real experiences with God have been while I have was running. I love God and I love running-seeing and feeling his world in this way. The pain, success, winded finish, muscles aching, straining. Running is tangible and I love every second of it all!