The Playground

"It is better, I
think, to begin
easily and get
your running to
be smooth and
relaxed and then
to go faster and
faster."
-Henry Rono

We Run For Those Who "Can Not"

> Joseph's Corner

THE PLAYGROUND

Please join us in our crusade to help fight cancer and to promote fitness by offering a healthier
lifestyle for everyone.

Life begins with a Step. We venture along the highway until
we reach our destination.
Come - run with us and help fight Cancer along the way. Help us save a life.

Come! Come to my playground, and come to a place where nothing really matters but life itself. Places
were there are no worries or cares - a place - just to have fun.

You remember the playground? You remember the time in our hearts that took place so long ago that
many of us may have forgotten. It’s the place where we just ran, and played, and had nothing else on our
minds. We yelled and we screamed. We laughed and yes, sometimes we even cried. But it was the best
time in our lives.

My playground started when I was in the fifth grade. I’d be waiting for the bell to signify lunch, and I knew
after that it was outside for an hour. I remember running through the doors to the playground. They were
the doors to fantasy land. They were the doors where there were no teachers, no parents, and no adults
at all, only my friends. We’d run and we’d jump! We’d skip and hop! It was just fun. No one cared who you
were, who your family was, and what your father did for a living. It was just me, with about one hundred
friends and no one else. I played basketball, dodge ball, and even tag with the girls, who later when I was
in the sixth grade were all known as “The Kissing Girls.” They could never catch me. I wouldn’t allow it
raining, snowing, or frigid cold. They had to send us outside - they couldn’t control us indoors. And do
you remember, we never lost. Every game we played was a win. And we loved it, and our friends loved it,
and we loved each other.

It was a great time in all our lives. Just to meet good friends, hang out, and play.

So, “Come to my Playground” of today. For an hour or two, nothing matters in your life. This is the place
where you can go to forget about life for a fragment of time. The places where we just run, have fun, and
meet good people and good friends.

We meet almost every Saturday and my car has become my beacon to the fantasy world. It takes me to
the place where, for a short period of time, the only thing that matters is the time that’s displayed on my
watch. I meet people who want to laugh, want to run, and simply want to have fun. We are encouraged by
the adventures we are willing to take. We cover miles because they are so difficult. We journey over hills,
run in the rain and steam towards one goal - the “Finish Line”. We go on adventures called Marathons
because like Mount Everest - “we do it because it’s there”. It hurts, it’s painful, and it’s exhausting. You’ll
cramp, have muscle spasms, and your breathing maybe so erratic that you think you’re having a heart
attack. It’s an adventure that no one can describe or put into words. You see the Finish line and you’re
dehydrated. You’re approaching it and having trouble lifting your legs more than a few inches off the
ground. Suddenly, you see it. It’s there right in front of you. “FINISH” the sign reads. You give it everything
you have left. You push towards. You see the line and than you cross the line and suddenly – ELATION!!!

Come to my Playground
Joe Bencivenga

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