I went for a two mile run today. It marked the first time in almost six months since I’d last set off for a run. My last run was the first week of September 2025. In full disclosure, my running hiatus began in response to that run; because after I got home, I pissed blood. It freaked me out to say the least. Called my wife. Called my sister. Ended up at the doc. Had to urinate in a cup. Had tests run. Awaited results in a mild state of panic for a few days.
Wound up being nothing major, thankfully. A condition known as exercise-induced hematuria. In a nutshell, exercising had caused me to piss blood for the simple fact that I emptied my bladder right before I tore off up the road on a brutally hot September day when I should’ve been, probably, sitting inside in the A/C in the first place. I have a history of forcing myself to urinate before I go running, even if I don’t really need to urinate, because I also have a history of telling myself I’m going to run for two or three miles and then ten miles later, I’m still running and by that time, yes, yes, I do need to pee but where do I pee?
I wrote about it briefly in the blog I posted on my birthday.
As I look back now, after having run for the first time in what feels like forever, I realize that’s when I went from runner to not-a-runner. I just stopped running. Completely. Honestly, I thought this all took place longer ago than six months. I figured it’d been a year. Nope. Six months or maybe it’s seven. I’m bad at math.
I run, therefore I am (not sitting on my behind)
But today I reclaimed my identity as a runner. Instead of thinking about going for a run or telling myself that I’m going to start running again soon, which is basically what I’ve been saying for the past, I don’t know, month, I got my behind up out from behind my desk, grabbed a pair of running shorts, a sleeveless Path Projects t-shirt and accompanying hat, which, for the record: is the best, hands down, running apparel money can buy, and laced up my Saucony Peregrine 12s.
My Peregrines are bright yellow. You can’t miss me if you see even a glimpse of me. These shoes are bright ass yellow. Like put on your sunglasses bright yellow. I didn’t know they were going to be that bright when I ordered them online. When they were released, Saucony classified this colorway as gold, not yellow, but these are not gold. I know what color gold is. This is yellow.
Either way, I thought the colorway would be a little muted. Maybe it was my computer monitor. Nada. No mute button on these trail runners. Not even a volume control button. I got them, despite being yellow, because they were on sale for more than half off the original price. I’m always on the lookout for a sale on something like shoes which I consider to be, almost always, way too expensive in the first place.
So I ran today in my bright yellow Saucony Peregrines. I didn’t almost run. I ran. And once I hit the two mile mark, which is about ten miles less than I would’ve run even five years ago, I stopped. Two miles was good enough considering that my initial plan was one mile and one mile alone. It had been a while. No need to overdo it.
As I walked back home, my legs felt like complete Jell-O, as if they’d collapse right out from underneath me. Despite this, it felt good. I felt good. My stress levels have been going in the opposite direction as I’d like of late so I called on the tried and true: running. Nothing quite squashes stress like lacing up a pair of running shoes and getting your heart rate up and the sweat pouring down.
I don’t know if you’d call what I did running. It felt more like jogging. Remember jogging which Rocky Balboa popularized? Why’d we ever move away from that word in the first place? That’s what I did today.
I jogged.
And it felt right.
I think I’ll go again tomorrow.
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