Here I am

[99bottles]

I thought this would be a peaceful day, and now here I am(,) running for my life.

Is a comma needed between 'am' and 'running'?

 

[Tarheel]

I thought this would be a peaceful day, and now here I am(,) running for my life.

Is a comma needed between 'am' and 'running'?

Yes.

You need a little more punch in that sentence. Perhaps:

I thought it would be a peaceful day, and now I am running for my life.

 

[teechar]

Is a comma needed between 'am' and 'running'?

Yes, because it sets off the participle clause (running for my life).

 

[Tarheel]

Sentence one.

I thought it would be a peaceful day, and now here I am, arguing with my dad.

Sentence two.

I though it would be a peaceful day, and now I am running for my life.

The two sentences say two very different things, so you need a different tempo for sentence two than for sentence one. (My opinion.)