Sunrise Revelations on O-Hill

This dawn, I accomplished a feat I had longed for since the beginning of this year, mounting O-hill to catch the sun-rise. O-hill is the highest summit on the campus, where the University observatory is located. This is usually the path I tend to take for my 5k jogs, but since it elevates incredulously and unexpectedly, I tend to overestimate my stamina and end up not pacing myself up the climb. From some strange reason, in the midst of a stressful week, I decided to climb O-Hill by dawn.

Despite the advantages of metabolic conditioning of a early morning jog, there is something inside of me that had been craving to conquer O-Hill when it least expected it. A wise man once told me that the highest Qi energy levels tend to be during the sunrise, when the world is just coming to life. Despite setting my alarm for 8am, my eagerness for the climb led me to rise at 6:30am. Without wasting a minute, I opened my eyes wide, stretched my arms, and without a yawn was in my running shoes!

At first, the run was peculiarly unpleasurable. My joints were stiff, the frigid cold Charlottesville morning breeze was hitting against my face, and it was still dull grey outside. I had beat the sun in waking up. This was my opportunity to mount O-Hill, the beast, when it last expected it. As I jogged past the pond, I my eyes gradually awakened as life began to rise with the sun. The ducks were still flapping their wings on the shores of the pond, ready for their morning swim. Even the industrial construction site that I passed was beginning to start up their lorry engines. I was feeling energy in the air from every direction. What really got me going though was the notion that I had to conquer O-Hill before the end of its slumber.

As I began to gain momentum, I passed an battalion of joggers; about a dozen or so. They were chanting some Greek war song. It was then that my imagination enveloped me in the epics of Odysseus, Orpheus, Heracles. Soon, I was in a Greek legend. It is these silly but precious figments of Homer imaginations that I recall on these jogs that put in the mood of indomitability. As I reached the base of the hill, I began to pace myself, promising not to stop my run, as I usually do, no matter if my legs gave out. As I elevated the mountain and as O-Hill steepened, I realized that it was really beginning to test me. It is for this reason that I was humbled by its sublimity. As I ran, I lower my head as a sign of respect to grandeur of this natural landscape. Although my pace slowed tremendously, I persisted knowing that the beacon inside me was still glowing. It is runs like these that really test your might and clear your mind. As I kept feeling like I would fail, I awaited my second wind that would put me on an unstoppable runner's high. Despite my proximity to the crest of the hill, this much-needed jolt wouldn't arrive...until I peeked through the forestry to witness the silver dome of the observatory, marking the hill's summit. As I neared this pinnacle point, the slope steepened even more, but I seemed to forget my stamina and it was as if my mind was running, and not my physique.

Despite all the progress I made, there was no trace of dawn in sight. I couldn't see the sun. It was as if it was on the other side of the hill...so it pushed me even more to reap my reward of seeing the sun in all its glory as it rose. As I reached the observatory, I was awed by what I had seen. The sun, still shifting between the clouds that covered it like its sheets, was still struggling to penetrate its rays through the sky. It was going through the same struggle that I was going though, trying to find its identity for the day. It is endearing how we can relate to nature. I couldn't help but think of God and his magnificence at this sight!

As I descended the hill, I felt that I had accomplished what I came here to do, mount O-Hill in a jog, see the sunrise, and discover myself an inch more... I was pleased to return to the IRC to find a hearty Breakfast of Champions awaiting me. As I munched down my boiled eggs, cream cheese and peanut butter bagle, and orange juice while reading a Fareed Zakaria article on Samuel Huntington, I was truly satisfied with my start to the day and could not have asked for a better morning.