I didn’t feel like running today
Some days I don’t—but I do.
I’ve never finished a run thinking,“I’m sorry I did that.”
I always feel empowered, powerful and ready to deal.
I have blisters on two toes but that doesn’t matter.
Pain is an administrative problem—I just wrap them
with paper surgical tape and run.
I also buy these 1" Polyurethane foam sheets (from Amazon),
that I cut to fit my feet—stuffing them in my socks for padding
—as if I were a professional athlete.
We don’t flinch beneath the heat, cold or rain,
and we don’t prevaricate or complain.
While I believe that life, otherwise, is pretty much nonstop compromise,
I reserve a protected territory for self-respect—where I practice small acts
of discipline—which I can track.
.
.
Songs for this:
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
Somebody's Going to Get Into This House by Jane Wiedlin
An earthling knows what he likes,
as he soars and he sails river pikes.
He has two arms and two legs,
is not hatched from eggs,
and is perfectly suited for bikes.
Yet, folks from the planet of Zentical,
with one arm, three legs, and a tentacle,
can't steer a bike,
which they really dislike.
Other than that, they're nearly identical.
Exercise your heart muscle daily
AP: 1st place 2026
my friends and I do not play pickle ball
we meet at a buffet in Scottish hall
the only exercise we will get today
is walking back and forth to their buffet
One joyful footstep
loosens procrastination
morning air tastes sweet
the mind keeps that light aglow
long after the walk has passed
Pleasure leaves a trace
on shoes waiting by the door
soft invitations
before thought can intervene
habit heeds motion's call
Inner loops turning—
unconscious desires take root
deep beneath reason
each fond spark of exercise
trains the nerves to yearn return
Laughter after strain
widens the spirit's landscape
breath steadies the mind
small victories slowly build
through patience and resilience
Outer loops rising
gather strength from calm delight
builds hope through movement
each glad act enlarges life
as wellness echoes health back
No harsh discipline—
only the pull of feelings
gently repeated
what once needed force and will
becomes enlightened desire
Ode to thee horrible treadmill
As you call to me to start the day
Have thee no mercy treadmill
Thou instrument of torture today
As I climb onto your dark track
Quick start before resistance wins
Thou spinning tracks now attack
It's time to pay for my eating sins
Oh wow now the speed begins
Too much too much I cry at last
Hear the playing of the violins
Labored voice where AED I asked
Slow down unforgiving treadmill
I despise to be treated this way
Heart rate screams on this hill
The nausea refuses to go away
Resistance is futile in the last
Mile after mile on dark track
I'm having such a sarcastic blast
The mental sanity now cracks
Oh treadmill a tenth left on thee
Each second seems an eternity
Yes! I have reached the end hehe
I now rush to vomit with urgency
Don't be afraid of a lil' weight.
Go grab some, tussle a bit, and please, don't wait.
Pull some, push some.
While you work, do a little hum.
Get up early with the rising sun.
And if not early, certainly before the day is done.
Get in there and wrestle with it a bit.
Let the sweat drop, get uncomfortable, but don't quit.
Feel the pressure, feel the tension.
And make sure to move each weight with good intention.
For 30 or 45 minutes, ignite the sympathetic.
But afterwards, make sure to feed the parasympathetic.
Neither depression nor indolence resides in this salubrious state.
So move, go move a lil' weight.
Wanting a little fun
Depart on a run
Seeking bakery pastry buns
Tasty and sweet
Jogging through the village street
Enduring the athletic heat
Conquering the feat
Can not be beat
Enjoying the run
For pastry buns
Not caring where you are from
Only greeted with a ‘welcome’
Take a bite
Time is not tight
During the bun
Run
Done for fun
Fattening those bottom cheeks
While everyone speaks
Bragging every week
About climbing the peaks
Featured on the bun
Run
Done
For fun
Where Danishes are great
Even know competitors gained too much weight
I long to be cycling up a mountain pass
A mountain goat on the cliff, a lake like glass
A foaming river on my left, cascading down the height
Indian paintbrush in a meadow, snowy peaks on my right.
And I couldn’t go wrong
If I had Dad along
The way he used to be
Explaining the landforms to me.
Mother and brothers would pedal too
We’d crest the pass to a panoramic view
of mountains and valleys and a wide blue ocean
Elegant towns, freight trains in motion.
Once the road was narrow, but the future was wide
Every pass a stepping stone, every mile sanctified
We ventured without thinking what it cost or meant
Some stops to regroup, but hope fueled our ascent.
I long to be cycling up that mountain pass
But freedom like that now lives in the past
Can’t do it anymore—so many restraints
Maybe in an afterlife we’ll ride with the saints.
Back to the mountain, just a metaphor
We go our own ways, life closes the door.
If you take the wrong path, hard to get on track.
Can't tell the clock to turn itself back.
Ran to arrive on time.
7a.m. yoga class is not for me.
I'm actually feeling more stressed.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 3rd place 2026
NEW START is wisdom for a brand-new way,
Eight laws of health to guide each day.
Nutrition feeds the body right,
Exercise builds strength and might.
Water heals from cell to heart,
Sunshine greets each morning’s start.
Temperance keeps balance true,
Fresh Air gives life anew.
Rest restores both mind and soul,
Making broken spirits whole.
Trust in God completes the way,
Guiding life from day to day.
With NEW START lived in faith and art,
Health and hope fill every heart.
Run just for fun, enjoy the sun, and when you’re done – relish the cool-down!
Peter Piper
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
—Author Unknown
I always thought that exercise
Meant pumping up your heart,
Which every sport, to some extent,
Does right off, from the start.
In classes I took years ago,
Aerobics was the theme.
We marched and jumped and stepped,
The workout every heart-pump’s dream.
Yet other types of working out
Have always had their place,
Though never offering a skill
I thought I could embrace.
Until I tried a stretching class
Without a single jump,
Just using weights and movement
With my heart a steady pump.
And man, I was exhausted!
Which to me was a surprise
And allowed me to see exercise
Through very different eyes.
John 19:30 'It is finished 'was His cry
on a cross He was to die
(jesusC) I am the Way&the Truth& Life......do join in
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.