Two thousand years ago, Philostratus presented a portrait of the ideal runner that borders on discrimination against those of us who are not ideal: To run well, one first needs to know how to stand upright. For the body to be in perfect proportion, the legs must be in line with the shoulders, the chest smaller than average and able to keep the

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Running has awarded me an accelerated degree in bodily intuition, thorough knowledge of all my vital functions—physical and psychic—and how they vary from context to context. I started out corporal-illiterate, accustomed to talking about my body and perceptions with childlike inaccuracy and approximation. Ever since I began to run, “I’m tired” has

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