Running In Sync

I’ve previously written about the ability of the Achilles community to bring people together.  In this week’s run, I was paired with Hanan, a life-long blind runner who, like me, ran the 800-meter on the track team in High School.  Hanan’s physique, stature and personality are like my own.   

We departed Engineer’s Gate together with a short tether connecting my right arm to her left.  Running with a tether requires adopting a synched cadence with your partner, which can often be tricky with an awkward adjustment period.   But this time, as soon as we set out, we were running completely in synch with matching arm swings and stride lengths.  Soon even our breathing matched to the point where we were essentially two people running as one. There was an unspoken intimacy in this experience, and the run couldn’t have been more natural. In track races, I usually feel uncomfortable when we’re all close together on the track, running around the tight corners. We’re competitors, all trying to get to the finish line first. But, with Achilles, when we’re all close together, we’re close together to support one another. We’re not close together to stay on each other’s trail. No, we’re close together for something much more personal: support. I’m thankful for Achilles’ ability to turn something uncomfortable into something special.

Upon returning to Engineer’s Gate, we untethered ourselves and naturally fell out of sync, with me helping Hanan to navigate to find her backpack. Can’t wait to get back in sync next Saturday morning!