My Fitness Pal

I've been a runner for almost a year and a half now. It's been a wild adventure in many respects. First off, I started with the Cool Running plan which is also known as C25K (Couch Potato to 5K). I was determined to try it. Several of my pastors were running, their wives, and other friends, and also some of my cousins. I needed a great way to get more fit, perhaps take off a few pounds, and there is also the idea of being able to eat naughty foods that I love and not gain weight. The last idea is not a sensible one, but it's a reality. I like cake.

Last May I ran a half marathon in Kalamazoo. There were major highs and some really low lows to that run. The "lows" I can't really talk about, but I learned a great deal from that run. Because of the benefits of the Borgess Run, the atmosphere, the route, the proximity to home, and the desire to re-run what was such a difficult run experience, I will be doing it once again on May 5th. 

Honestly, if it weren't for my running partner, Pam, I probably wouldn't be running half marathons at all. I'd still run, I would eat cake, I would endure snow, ice, and spitting rain, but I would not be running long runs. I enjoy the camaraderie, the talks, the sighs, the plan-making, the heart-sharing, the grunts, the ups, the downs, the sheer enjoyment of taking in God's creation, the benefits, the challenges, and what it does for me as a person. It has changed me in many ways. So thank you, fitness pal. You are awesome!

I never know exactly where a blog post is going to go. The title started in my head about an app on my iPhone that I love, and it turned into a post about friendship and gratitude. If you are one of my friends and you are reading this, I love you and you play a very specific role in my life that has helped to shape me into who I am. Maybe you don't run with me, maybe you moved far, far away or I'm the one who moved and I think about you just about everyday. We might have lived down the hall from each other from the time we were 10 and you will always be my very best friend. Perhaps you live in another state, you have a blog and I met you in blogland,. You've touched my life. You might live in the U.K. where I once lived and you showed me a whole other world that I miss. You might be someone I see at church, we hug, chat, smile, and wait another week until we meet again. Maybe we went to college together and our friendship has withstood time and distance and we will be friends for life. Small groups at church have been a conduit to many of our dearest friendships. I might like your statuses on FB and am moved at some of your writings. I might have sat next to you on the bleachers watching our husbands play basketball and our conversation was effortless. You might be a friend that I once had and time and circumstance has changed what once was, but you will always have a part of my heart. Maybe you are the dearest, sweetest, best friend that I will ever have; my husband. Whomever you are, I am ever thankful for you that the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty put you in my life. You've helped to shape me into the person I am right at this very moment. 

With Love and...