The Obstacle Course — J.F. Freedman

I ran at a fast, steady pace … concentrating on nothing except the obstacle in front of me, and then the one after that, I took each easily and with assurance, landing lightly on the balls of my feet after each jump. This is what I'm best at, where I can lose myself in the dreams that careen around in my head, away from the b.s. that forces itself on me in ways beyond my control, ways I can't handle. When I run here there's nothing in the world to stop me, to tell me I'm less than perfect, which is how thing go usually.

What Roy Poole likes most about the obstacle course is that it's just him and it. There's no faking it with lies or promises. It keeps his feet going while he keeps his mind's eye on the prize…