“Bridges
have long been built into spiritual frameworks, personified as
blessed entities capable of connecting with higher powers.” -
Gabrielle Lipton
I have my basic running routes which, here in Florida, are flat.
Obviously that includes the beach on six out of seven days a week.
However, once a week I change my vantage point and head for the
“hill,” - the Beach Boulevard Bridge which connects our coastal
island to the mainland. Alone in my
personal endeavor,
I run
across, around, back and
forth on the bridge, refreshing
my vantage point and enjoying the adventure
of being “elevated.”
I move in order to be still. For the length of being suspended
somewhere between two points of a picture too big to ever be fully
understood, I have nothing to connect with but myself. Suspended
between east and west, ocean and mainland, water and sky - I can
transcend into the sensation of transition, of being nowhere but
going somewhere … and then back again.
“Running is my meditation, mind flush, cosmic telephone, mood
elevator and spiritual communion.” - Lorraine Moller
I think of the thousands of hours
I have spent running; the tens of thousands of miles I have run. All
the while my brain has been creating new bridges in
my brain using my nerve
cells to send messages in the form of electric and chemical signals
through my brain and body, relaying information. The signals are
passed along via connections called synapses - temporary bridges
formed between two cells. At any given time, approximately 1,000
trillion synaptic connections are taking place in my brain alone.
Trillions upon trillions of brain bridges are crossed with every step
I take. I think about the bridges in my brain.
As I age, synaptic pruning occurs, whittling my brain bridges down
to just the neurological pathways I use most. Fewer neurons to
connect make for fewer connections, resulting in memory loss,
difficulty learning and overall mental decline. However, studies have
shown that prolonged exercise - running in particular – generates
new neurons. When I run, I create new dots in my brain for synaptic
links to connect, new neurological neighborhoods to create bridges to
others. All of my leg circles, - countless hours and miles running -
are worthwhile.
“As little as three hours a week of brisk walking has been
shown to halt, and even reverse, the brain atrophy (shrinkage) that
starts in a person’s forties, especially in the regions responsible
for memory and higher cognition. Exercise increases the brain’s
volume of gray matter (actual neurons) and white matter (connections
between neurons).” - Dr.
Alvaro Fernandez
I think of my running-induced epiphany moments – all the ideas
for projects and solutions for problems that just “popped” into my mind. The mental connections – the brain bridges weren’t
just lying dormant. My running created them. I find moving my legs in circles meditative and running distances while doing so empowering. As the years and miles
pass by, I am more aware of my body's cycles through high energy and
low weariness. Running, especially on the bridge, keeps me in touch
with my aging body and its needs.
“It’s an adventure, a taste of excitement; it’s a
realization that the human body – your body – is a tough old
thing. And that you are the boss of it.” - Douglas
Barry
My weekly bridge run isn’t easy. Yet, I look forward to it each
and every week. For me the reward goes beyond the physical aspect of
getting in a solid workout. I love my bridge run for the mental
rewards, the amazing views, the quiet moments to connect with myself
during a physical challenge — all of these leave me feeling
inspired to keep going.
I think it's safe to say running the bridge might be one of the
most valuable things I do.
