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anyone. There’s slobber and snot and swearing involved. Like I said, it’s not pretty. Even though, it is in its own poetic, unconventional way. And running isn’t about who is the most suave, or who is the best looking. Sometimes weird girls named Jennifer do alright for themselves, and that feels pretty good, too. And the best part about running is for us mortals who aren’t aiming for the win, the only person we’re racing against is our self. There’s no need to best each other. The happiest place on earth is the finish line of a race. There are so many hugs and smiles and high fives that it totally renews your faith in humanity. There is no hate, there is no judgment, and there is no exclu-
sion. And, the real cherry? It’s effortless for me to exist among my people. I feel so totally at home. I’m not nervous or embarrassed or awkward. Even if everyone wasn’t so super high on endor- phins and a sense of accomplishment, we’d still all fit in. In the running community, we are all the cool kids and I have a place where I belong.
Morita is a wife, a mother, a runner, a school psychologist, and edging writer. “Social mis t” and “borderline recluse” have also been terms thrown around when describing Jessica to others. She was born and raised in California, and thanks to her fairly crippling anxiety about change and her strict adherence to routine, she continues to live in the small, rural comfort of Northern California.