Last night on the Metro on the way home from work, I was itching to lace up my shoes and go for a run.

That's a really weird feeling for me. Usually at the end of the day, I'm so drained and exhausted, and all I can think about is curling up on my sofa and doing homework or something.

But yesterday was just a busy, busy day at work. I'm under the gun on a massive project with a really tight deadline and after a day full of meetings, and two plus weeks of no exercise because I was sick, I was dying to get some movement in.

So before sitting down to knock out homework and watch the State of the Union (nerd alert), I set out for a run.



I left my watch at home. I didn't care to know how slow I was going after so much time off. I popped in my music, turned it on shuffle and set out on a loop I haven't done in a while.

And everything just clicked.

My legs felt fresh and not too out-of-shape.

My iTunes was serving me up the most perfect mix of Billy Joel, country music and Top 40 jams.

The temperature was a perfect 43 degrees -- chilly but not unbearable.

And the loop I did felt fresh. Since I'd be running a lot of paths and trails in recent months, mixing it up on one of my more urban routes (to be read: a route with lots of street lights and not scary dark parks) added another bit of newness to the whole thing.

It's runs like this that remind me why I love this sport.

With each step, I could just feel the little balls of tension in my shoulders slowly melt away. The stress of projects and deadlines seemed to fade a bit, and my mile-long to-do list definitely seemed more manageable.

For a brief time last night, I just felt happy and calm and in the moment, a feeling that I rarely find during my regular day-to-day busyness.

And that is why I run -- to chase that sublime feeling that comes from only the best, most rejuvenating runs.