Whenever & Wherever

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Running is a spiritual experience for me. It puts me into a meditative state while pushing my body to its limits – and trail running takes this concept to another level, where joy meets pain, and they combine to give you a feeling of bliss that no drug ever could. I’ve tried my fair share of artificial highs to be confident in stating that! – BY PJ MOSES

Maybe it is the altitude that helps, or the close proximity to nature, but the trails transport me back to an ancient past where we as a species were not just observers of nature, but active participants in its daily drama. We used to run to catch our food, to save ourselves from becoming a meal. It was natural, and it was part of our make-up as humans.

However, when we started making use of other animals as transport, we slowly lost our sense of joy at the thought of running. Now only a small percentage of humans run for fun, and even fewer brave the trails and deserts in search of that running high.

I discovered my love of running by accident, while searching for a distraction to help me combat the urges of giving up my 20-year smoking habit. The running bug bit, and I now find myself smiling at the idea of spending hours running and searching for my next adventure. Now I go out scrambling over rocks or hurtling down the side of a mountain, and escaping the matrix has become the new normal for me.

The exhilaration of summiting new mountain peaks unaided is the type of daring-do my life has been missing for too long. As I sit on a conquered peak and look out over the beauty of the world around me, I smile at the amazing blessing of this adventurous life, and I look forward to the next bold step toward an epic existence.

I hope the joy of running always makes me wake up with a smile, and lets me go to sleep with a peaceful heart at night. This is my daily prayer.

About the Author
PJ Moses is a former Cape Flats gangster who took up running when he turned his back on that dangerous lifestyle, in order to set a good example for his two young sons and make sure he would be there for them, instead of becoming just another crime statistic.

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