TO RUN 26.2 IS TO FEEL ALIVE

THE SUN IS rising from the east, and the waves of the Pacific crash below to the west.

- Jennifer Samson Acker

I'm enveloped in a cool morning breeze that smells of salt and piney woods, running down California's Highway 1, where lupines bloom out of craggy rocks. I'm racing the Big Sur International Marathon.

The drum of thousands of runners' feet taps the road that ribbons into the distance beneath an early morning fog. To the east, lush valleys unfold over and over again, and to the west, jagged cliffs descend unto untamed beaches. I feel my existence momentarily and perfectly aligned with the universe as I move along the coastline. If I were to ever be convinced the world is divine and magical, it is now.