The Daily Life of a Runner

The life of a runner is complex and simple.  We follow the same formula every day to go about life and ceremony.  However easy it may seem to do the same activities over and over again, it is difficult.  Our ability to get ready, drive, and perform our tasks changes daily depending on how much sleep we get, where we sleep, how much we’ve ran the previous evening or how much we are required to run that day, or our individuals emotions.

The typical running day looks like this:  We wake up at the designated time for that particular day, get dressed, brushed and physically ready for the day and at the same time pack our belongings.  One solid rule we have is “bags before breakfast.”  This means that all of our bags and belongings must be packed into the vans before we sit to eat breakfast.  If this doesn’t happen, it takes longer to begin the rest of the day.  After breakfast, we begin ceremony by unbundling the staffs and conducting the formula to begin circle.  The rest of the day is pure running, eating, and praying until we reach our destination.  Once there, we have the closing ceremony.  After, we feast!  Feasting and eating in general is done with the communities.  This time allows us to relax and visit with new family.  Very seldom do days end early, so the fastest thing we do is get ready for bed. 

Each day brings a new opportunity to do the same thing better- to pack faster, to pray harder, to smile more, to ask communities different questions, to eat less or more, too drink more water, to look at the earth with more caring intent.  The day of the runner is undoubtfully different, complex, and routine.