Most people run for conventional reasons: training, fitness , stress relief, fresh air. That’s the same for me, too. But sometimes my best runs have nothing to do with mileage at all. The necessary runs have disregarded pace, distance, or even hitting a certain workout . Some of my most necessary ones have been through tears. I remember the first time it happened so clearly. I’d just left therapy, and it was one of those sessions where you walk out feeling like you’ve been emotionally power-washed. I could’ve gone straight home, crawled into bed, let it sit in my chest all night. Instead, I didn’t want to carry all of what was going on in my head back to my apartment. So I made my way toward the West Side Highway and started running. At first, it felt normal. Get moving, let my brain settle, let the city be just its usual noise. And then the tears started—not delicate, rom-com-level tears, either. Real tears.…