Theme music for today? “Walking Running in a Winter Wonderland”. That’s right – first snow of the season happens hours before my first experience with CLE’s Running/Walking Club. Go figure.
Running is a relatively new endeavor for me, and this was my first time running in the snow. The odds of me attending a group run having never done that before are quite slim. The addition of snow makes it even less likely. However, I had committed to the event a while back (when it was much warmer) and it is part of my job after all…
I never would have guessed I would say this when I woke up this morning at 6am, but I’m so glad I went. Nancy Rollins planned our December meeting to take place at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. It was like running through a picture-perfect snow globe. I had a fantastic run with someone who I learned so much about, and shared and received encouragement with other runners and walkers. Afterwards the group drove back to the office, said a prayer, ate breakfast, and we had an opportunity to recognize group members who we appreciated and explain to the group why. I found out today that a runner’s high is multiplied when shared with others.
I felt more alive than usual the rest of the day after exercising my whole self in a team setting. If you’re interested in joining this team, drop me a line. You won’t regret it.
Johnny- Glad you came out and ran. I can’t think of a better way to start a Saturday and to start a month! Thanks for writing this great blog.