Running in Circles
November 10th, 2025
Photo: Libby Zufi
Writer: Emma Weiss
Editor: Sophie Graff
When I got home from school last spring, I set my alarm for 8:00 a.m., a time I usually would never wake up, got dressed, laced up my Hokas, and started running down the Charles River. With Brett Chody’s “Long Run” playlist in my ears, I ran two miles down the river, looped around, and ran two miles back. Running by the Charles felt easy and familiar. It was mindless in the best way, comforting, reflective, and a chance to think about my year and the summer ahead.
I have had a long, complicated relationship with running. In middle school, I joined cross country and quickly developed an unhealthy relationship with it. It became all about pace and comparison. I ignored how my body felt and just kept running until I burned out. In high school, I completely stopped running altogether for two years.
Then, during my junior year, I decided to give it another try; this time just for myself. I went for a jog along the Charles again, and something clicked. During that run, I was able to forget about whatever was stressing me out then. I was fully present. I rediscovered a love for running to a non-skip playlist. It was the moment in my week when I could freeze time and not think about anything else.
When college started, the fast-paced lifestyle pulled me away from running again. I felt self-conscious running on campus and told myself I didn’t have the time. Eventually, my stress built up. One warm spring day, I decided to lace up my shoes again. I ran through Ann Arbor’s neighborhoods, weaving through the streets and discovering parts of the city I had never seen before. It wasn’t the same as the Charles, but it reminded me of why I fell in love with running in the first place, the peace that comes from mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other.
This summer, I committed to training for a half-marathon, which I’ll be running in November. Running has become a time for mental clarity, but it has also motivated me and taught me that I can push beyond what I once thought was physically possible. I can’t imagine my life without running anymore, and I’m excited to keep chasing goals I never thought I could achieve.
