This past Saturday, July 18th my friends and I ran the Okoboji Half-Marathon. It was a training run for Chicago this fall. The course was full of hills. We would run uphill and then it would be flat so there wasn't even the reward of going downhill on the other side, which made it a perfect training run. 

I started the run with my friend April, but a few miles in knew that I couldn't keep her pace for another 9-10 miles. I encouraged her to go on and rock the race while I stay behind. I didn't realize how much my pace has slowed down since running marathons. Anyways, I made a couple of friends a few feet behind me. This was their first half-marathon. It was so exciting for me to run this with them. One of the girls was cramping around mile six. I told her she had no choice but to finish and that I would drag her across the line rather than let her fall back. I call that tough love. She fought through the cramp and successfully finished! 

I've come to the realization that I'm a social runner. I know it's not a surprise. I think I could be faster if I put all my energy into the race, but I would rather mingle as I run. That's the fun of racing to me. We're all after the common goal of finishing. Let's enjoy the journey. 

Aside: I love to laugh and I have found the funniest running commercials. Go to www.runningsuperfans.com and click on the old film real to see the commercials. They're great!