Turn 163 of 233

Run 34 miles at dawn and bring Kimo in the jogging stroller. Sina shows up naked. I Finally beat Sina

The alarm is four-fifteen and the alarm is the thing that starts the day and the day starts before the sun. Lena is on the balcony stretching and the stretching is the thing she does before every run — the O-line stretches, the hip openers, the hamstring pulls, the ankle rotations. Kimo is in the jogging stroller and the stroller is the thing she bought when he was born and the buying was the thing she did so she could run with him. He is humming and the humming is the drone and the drone is the soundtrack of the run. The feet hit the pavement at five and the pavement is the pavement she knows — the route from the apartment to the river trail and the river trail is the trail she runs every Friday and the Friday is today.

The first ten miles are the first ten miles and the first ten are the warmup and the warmup is the thing the body needs. Kimo is quiet in the stroller and the quiet is the humming and the humming is the thing he does when he is moving and the moving is the thing he has known since before he was born. Lena's feet are bare on the concrete and the concrete is the surface she has run on for over a year and the surface is the thing her feet know. The calluses are thick and the thick is the thing that protects and the protecting is the thing that lets her run thirty-four miles on surfaces that would send any other runner to the hospital.

At mile twelve the sun is up and the sun is the thing that turns the river gold and the gold is the thing Lena sees every Friday and the seeing is the thing she doesn't take for granted. The stroller moves smooth and the smooth is the thing she built and the building is the thing she does. At mile eighteen the feet are bleeding and the bleeding is the thing she expects and the expecting is not pain. The expecting is the thing that comes with thirty-four miles and the thirty-four is the number and the number is the distance.

At mile twenty-two a shape appears on the trail ahead and the shape is a shape Lena knows. The shape is Sina. Sina is running toward her and the running is the running Lena has been watching for over a year and the watching is the thing that has been closing the gap. But the thing Lena sees first is not the running. The thing she sees first is the skin. Sina is running toward her wearing nothing but running shorts and the nothing but running shorts is the thing that stops Lena's feet for the first time in twenty-two miles.

Sina's body is the body Lena has seen in the bungalow in Gainesville — the broad shoulders, the thick legs, the belly that is soft and strong and the strong is the thing Sina carries. But the body on the trail is different. The body on the trail is the body without clothes and the without clothes is the thing Sina has never done on a run and the never is the thing that means something has changed. Sina's breasts are heavy and the heavy is the thing that moves when she runs and the moving is the thing Lena watches and the watching is not desire. The watching is recognition.

"You're naked," Lena says. The saying is the stating of a fact and the fact is the thing.

"You work naked," Sina says. The saying is the saying of a woman who has been thinking about this and the thinking is the thing that brought her here.

"You run naked on your balcony. You lift naked. You live naked. I've been running behind you in clothes for a year and the clothes felt wrong today."

Sina falls in beside her and the falling in is the thing they do — the two of them running side by side, the stroller between them, Kimo humming. The pace is the pace and the pace is the thing they share. The miles come and the coming is the thing — twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five. Sina's body is moving and the moving is the thing Lena watches and the watching is the recognition. Sina's feet are bare too and the bare is the thing Lena didn't expect and the not expecting is the thing that makes her look. Sina's feet are callused and dark and the callused is the thing that says Sina has been running barefoot and the running barefoot is the thing she hasn't told Lena about.

"How long have you been running barefoot," Lena says. The asking is not a question. The asking is the asking of a woman who knows what barefoot feet look like and the knowing is in the looking.

"Three months," Sina says. The saying is the saying of a woman who has been doing a thing in private and the private is the thing that is ending now.

"Since the last time I ran with you and your feet were fine at thirty miles and mine were blistered in shoes at twenty."

The miles come. Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight. The gap is the gap and the gap is the thing Lena has been closing for months and the closing is the thing that is happening now. Lena's stride is longer and the longer is the thing her legs do and the legs are 6'3" of leg and the 6'3" is the advantage. Sina's stride is shorter and the shorter is the thing that has kept Sina ahead for a year and the ahead is the thing that is ending. Twenty-nine. Thirty. The pace is the pace and the pace is the thing they share and the sharing is the thing that has been the gap and the gap is closing.

Thirty-one. Thirty-two. Sina's breathing is harder and the harder is the thing Lena hears and the hearing is the thing that tells her the gap is closed. Lena's breathing is steady and the steady is the thing that tells her the gap is gone. Thirty-three. The trail is the trail and the trail is the thing they have run together and the together is the thing that is the race and the race is the thing that is happening now. Lena's legs are longer and the longer is the thing that pulls her ahead and the ahead is the thing she has never been and the never is ending.

Thirty-four. The finish is the parking lot at the trailhead and the finish is the thing Lena reaches first. The first is the thing. She reaches it first and the first is by four steps and the four steps is the gap and the gap is the thing that was Sina's and is now Lena's. Sina crosses four steps behind and the behind is the place Sina has never been and the never is the thing that is ending. Sina is bent over and the bent over is the breathing and the breathing is hard and the hard is the thing that tells the truth.

Lena is not bent over. Lena is standing and the standing is the thing she does at the end of thirty-four miles and the standing is the thing that says the body is fine and the fine is the thing that is true. Kimo is humming in the stroller and the humming is the thing that hasn't stopped for thirty-four miles and the thirty-four is the distance and the distance is the thing Lena has run and the running is done.

"You beat me," Sina says. The saying is the saying of a woman who has never been beaten by Lena and the never is the thing that is ending. The saying is not anger. The saying is the saying of a woman who is stating a fact and the fact is the thing.

"I beat you," Lena says.

Sina straightens up and the straightening is the thing that takes a moment and the moment is the thing that says the run was hard and the hard is the thing Sina's body is telling her. Sina's body is naked and the naked is the skin and the skin is sweating and the sweating is the thing that catches the morning light. She looks at Lena and the looking is the looking of a woman who has been ahead for a year and is now behind and the behind is the thing she is learning.

"Your boy is humming," Sina says. The saying is the saying of a woman who is changing the subject and the changing is the thing Sina does when the thing that happened is too big for the moment. Kimo is humming and the humming is the drone and the drone is the thing that has been the soundtrack for thirty-four miles.

"He hums," Lena says. "Like Aleki."

"Like Aleki," Sina says. The echo is the echo they share and the sharing is the thing that is the structure and the structure holds. The two of them stand in the parking lot at the trailhead and the standing is the thing they do and the doing is the thing that is the end of the run and the end is the thing that Lena won and the won is the thing that is new and the new is the structure and the structure holds.