Saturday Morning Runs Rock (today anyway!)

My goal for the morning was to attempt 7 miles while running with my niece, Erin. When I got up, my throat was a bit sore and my nose was runny. I was fully prepared to be satisfied with 6 miles, but I still had a longer route in the back of my mind. We ran for over an hour, saw several friends out along the way, and I was able to keep running. We got Mozart out of the way first; everything else is relatively easy after running up that dreadful hill! We ran all the way down Tell Street to Main, did the Main/7th loop, and then ran the other direction on Main to Hwy. 37. When Gary and I went to measure the distance, it was indeed 7.1 miles! He also had a great run, running over 5 miles for the first time. He had said that once he hit 4 miles, he would just stick with that and try to increase speed. The odd thing is, once one hits a mileage goal, he has to go a little further just to see how far he can make it. One of the great aspects of running is the support of other runners. I was talking to a former co-worker last night at Walmart, and she said she was beginning to run some. I told her about Gary running to the telephone poles, and trying to go to one further pole each time when he first started. My friend said that she is a 'telephone pole' runner right now. That's fabulous! I don't know of anyone who started out just being able to run 5 miles. We all started out slowly, and gradually increased our endurance; that's what it's all about. We all know how tough it is to get started, and that sometimes it just plain sucks. Those of us who have come to enjoy the challenges, the benefits, and the friendships like to share our experiences. Whenever I see someone out who also runs, the conversation undoubtedly will turn to running. Whether one runs a mile or 18 miles (Wes!), we are proud of one another. Are we sometimes envious? Sure, but not in a spiteful way; just in a way that causes each of us to reach one more telephone pole!