Epiphany

Not in the religious sense. It was a "sudden intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience."

I'd been running on the towpath with Dave. At 19F it felt pretty cold, and the snow - enough to cover the ground - was falling at a steady rate. Although the towpath surface was uneven frozen mud in places, I had thoroughly enjoyed our 11-mile run together. Dave had to take off, and I decided to run a few more miles.

I went south from Red Lock this time; the opposite direction I'd run with Dave. Now it was a little after 7am, and the darkness was just beginning to give way to early morning daylight. The snow was still falling. The two nearby ski resorts were brightly lit up in the distance. There wasn't another soul on the towpath, or anywhere else nearby. All this taken together made the experience seem almost unreal. Surreal, and beautiful beyond description.

That's when it hit me - the epiphany: This is why I run.