I was a horse

At least I wanted to be way back in second or third grade. Sue was too. We wore our waist-length hair in ponytails and galloped around the playground, whinnying, going fast. We raced each other and whomever else wanted to be a horse that day.
But you had to have the ponytail. Run to the slide, climb up, slide down, whinny and run over to the swings. Swing as high as you can, jump off to feel yourself suspended for just that split second in mid air and come crashing down in the dust below, get up and whinny and run or trot over to the monkey bars. Climb up to the top, whinny loudly, hang upside-down, only if you remembered to wear shorts that day under the mandatory dress or skirt. Climb down and run clear across the field to the chain-link fence and back. It was fun to be the fastest and first and throw back your head and shake your ponytail and whinny.

In fifth grade running took on a whole other meaning. The cute boys, David and Donny, were also the fast boys. So if you wanted to be able to get their attention, or catch them as you played tag, one had to be fast. The goal was to tie them to a tree with imaginary rope (if you caught them) and then pretend that you kissed. I don't actually ever remember kissing these guys, but it was fun again just to run, catch them, and pretend.

In middle school and most of high school running took a back seat to boys and other interests. Mainly boys and music and boys who were in bands, and even boys who weren't in bands. Running only came to the fore-front again as a senior in high school where a few of us "demanded" to be part of a track team. Title 9 was not in effect yet, but we talked our gym teacher into taking a few of us to a couple of meets (where the 400 was the longest race at that time!) and I was hooked.

I just returned from running a few miles. The mornings are warming up, the sun was already shining on the mountains to the west and the orange blossom fragrance was abundant. Getting out after being slightly ill the last few days was heaven. I almost wanted to break into a gallop, throw back my head and try to whinny. Ponytail and all.