I got to run somewhere else today-yippee!! The family headed to a park that has a lovely paved, hilly path which meanders into woods, next to a lake, and right by the playground. What a nice change from the flat asphalt country roads I am used to running. No stinky hog barns, no roadkill, and best of all- daylight! It's the time of year when I head out for my morning runs in the dark and return in the dawn. It was invigorating to feel the sun on my shoulders again. After my run I met a Mom at the playground who is also a runner. We chatted a bit and it was refreshing to talk to another runner about 20 mile runs and races and all the other normal things runners talk about but non-runners have no interest in.
On the way home I began to reminisce about my college running days and the only time in my life (outside of HS track and CC )I ever had a running buddy. I met R in college choir. We were both runners and we had our own running routines, but we began to meet for long runs. I had always been a solitary runner, but it was a nice change to have someone to talk with as the miles passed. We decided to train for the Columbus Marathon together. We spent so much time talking about our training and our goals, our diets and our miles. That first marathon wouldn't have been half as much fun without R to share it with. I don't remember when we stopped running together. I had qualified for the Boston Marathon and she hadn't, so I continued to train through the winter and she took a little time off from the long runs. And then, like most college friendships, we went our seperate ways. I wonder if R is still running today. I bet she is. She was a runner at heart, just like me.