ReRunning

It's that time of year again. Running season has set in. I'm scheduled for my first half marathon of the season at the end of June, I'm doing the Pacific Crest Half on June 23rd. I haven't actually signed up yet, but it's on my to-do list and running has started up again.

I have a new running buddy. She and I did not get along at all when we first started working together. Personality clash to the max. She chewed me out one day at work, like full-on screaming match in the back room overseen by a manager. Not a particular highlight of my career.

Now we get along. I'm not really sure when that particular transition happened, but now we're friends. Who knows. Co-workers do tell me horror stories about one co-worker or other that they didn't click with originally and now they're the best of friends.

She's enthusiastic and excited that I'm motivating her to run. She's the first running buddy I've had where I know more about distance running than she does...it's interesting to be the running expert. So far, I've disabused her of the idea that I'm hardcore and fast. Which is good, because she was super nervous about running with me initially.

She has a two-year-old who we've had to take with us a couple mornings this past week. I don't know if you know this, but pushing a stroller -- even a nice one -- while running is hard. It's like back in high school when they'd strap those parachutes to us to practice starts for track and field to create drag and make us faster. Only it's in front of you and instead of air, you're pushing a stroller with a 35 lb. child in it. I'm a nice person and will push the stroller to give her a break and I was shocked at how hilly it makes the run that I previously believed to be flat.

My arms and shoulders are sore from our run the other day.

When we got dumped on in the snow storm that passed through.

That morning, I expected to not have to go run outside. I expected that she would call it off. After all, she has a child who would freeze during our run. She said, "Let's go!" and I said, "Are you sure? Do you realize it's dumping snow?" Her response was, "Yup! We're going!"

Though our run ended up being a tough two miles that took us half an hour instead of the four miles we were supposed to run. And in that half hour, four inches of snow piled up on my car. And we exhausted ourselves pushing that damn stroller.

It banishes my ideal of being a running mom when I'm all growed up, that's for sure.

Ciao,
kc