Week 4 of Elephant Run lands with a quiet shift. The legs are still heavy, the pace still slow, but something’s changing. The runs are stretching further, the breath steadier, and the emotional fog of last week—part gardening fatigue, part old ghosts—has begun to lift. This isn’t a sprint, and it’s certainly not a spectacle. It’s a run-walk rhythm stitched together by stubborn joy, a refusal to quit, and the kind of progress that doesn’t need applause. Just a nod. A smile. A light clap from a stranger who sees you walking, sees you struggling, and says—without words—I see you. Keep going.
This week, the runs are stretching further. Not faster, not flashier—just further. Still on the Couch to 5K program, still slow and steady, still mostly run-walks. But something’s shifting. The legs feel a little stronger. The breath a little less panicked. The rhythm—if you squint—almost resembles progress.
Last week was flat. Maybe it was the emotional toll. Maybe the heavy gardening. Maybe both. This week, I’m more rested. Still not springing like the gazelles that pass me on the trail, but I’m moving. And I’m sticking to the program.
I watch the ones with that effortless bounce—their feet barely seem to touch the ground. I’ve never had that. Running’s always been a slog. A stubborn, sweaty slog. But I’m here. I’m showing up. And that counts.
The good ones don’t really notice. They’re in their zone. No shame needed. But the ones on their own journey—the slow ones, the steady ones, the ones who’ve fought for every step—they’ll give you a nod. A wave. A smile. Sometimes I clap for them, just a little. And when I’m walking, exhausted, their smile feels like a quiet “I see you.” No judgment. Just shared struggle. Different paces, same path.
No one’s pointed or laughed. Not yet. But the schoolday ghosts still whisper—“You’re bad at sport. You’re not a runner.” I flip them the bird and keep going. This isn’t the Olympic Trail. It’s a fitness journey. And I’m not here to break records. I’m here to reclaim my body, my breath, my stubborn joy.
You are the star of your own story.
