Freedom to Move: The Beginning Part Two

With each step,

I fight to run,

Listen,

And Focus.

     As I became more interested in running, I started to do what most modern day people do; I began googling to find information about running. My searches involved “visually impaired runners”, “guide running” and “feeling sick while running”. I found a webpage that was highlighting a very unique sort of run for the visually impaired and blind. It was the Boston 5 K vision run which was an event exclusively for the visually impaired and blind population, along with their supporters. It represented everything about a run that seemed welcoming and rewarding for me. It allowed people to run or walk, and offered a blind fold challenge for people who could see. Reading about this race was exciting and I loved the idea of having others experience what it is like to run blind folded. Surely, running blind folded for 5 k would not give one the experience of what it’s like to be a blind runner, but it would however, give them a small glimpse. More importantly, it would help them to recognize that people who are blind can run (even if it’s hard).

     During my Google searches, I read     many things about the benefits of running and “why running is the best”. Some of these sites praised the sport of running for being inexpensive and convenient. This is because running is an activity that can be done right outside your home simply by leaving your door step. For me, running brings on a much different outlook; convenience is definitely not one of the words that I would use when explaining my experience of running. Being nearly blind for most of my life, I did not grow up running around like other children. I was hesitant to participate in gym; mainly for my own fear of getting hurt or running into someone. If you took one sighted child and put them in a blind fold and then put them in a gym class with their non-blind folded classmates, imagine what that could be like!     I’m telling you this not because I want you to feel sorry for me, but because I want you to understand how difficult it was for me to feel free to move.

     Since I’ve attended the running clinic back at the Canada Games Center, I’ve been reminded time and time again by runners on the streets, runners at the park, and on the track, that it is not convenient for me to run. One of the main reasons for the inconvenience of running for me is that I cannot run alone. Having to be dependent on a guide runner has been another aspect of running that has brought on a host of thoughts like, “I’m taking up someone’s time” and “I can’t run fast enough for them”. Although I think these thoughts are natural for me to have; I also realize that they get me nowhere closer to what I want. It is persistence, determination, hard work, fun and friends that will allow me to participate in sport. I need to tell myself that running with a guide doesn’t make me less of a person; it means that I need a team to run. Running is not an individual sport for me, it is a team sport. By working together we will achieve   one of the best feelings in the world-freedom to move.