Runner Community - A Beautiful Thing, and a Message for Steph

I am so happy to be a runner. I am so blessed to be a runner, to be able to use God's gifts (my health, my body, my legs) and to feel true joy from it. I have always shared my enthusiasm for running with EVERYBODY that asks. Running is something I absolutely, unequivocally LOVE. Running is in my heart, in my soul and a part of me. Notice though that I did not say that running is who I am, because it is not. Running is only a small, tiny part of who I am.

Through running I have become part of a neat community of sorts. You all know, as runners, that when you meet another runner the walls come down and there are no awkward silences. You and this new person have something (you both no doubt love) that you can talk about. And if you run with this person, you can run in silence and all is good. It's a wonderful thing!

At the half marathon I ran several weeks ago, I remember running next to a very fit woman for the first couple of miles. I remember thinking, "Awesome, someone to run this race with. We can help each other and push one another through this." And then I remember in a matter of one second, she appeared to have twisted her ankle and then wince in pain. We were literally side by side and I asked her if she was all right. She kind of nodded and continued to run next to me. But eventually she was no longer there. :( I thought about her later in the race and hoped she was okay and maybe just fell behind a little. Well, I have heard from her and I'm glad she touchd base, but her news is a bummer. However, I know she will come back stronger and more ready to race than ever.

I wanted to share her message with you all. Having her touch base in this way really made my day and made me feel good about our little (but HUGE) running community. It spreads far and wide and I hope you all feel a part of it, too. Here is Steph's message, but first...
I want to thank you Steph for letting me know how you're doing. I am so sorry to hear about your foot, but so glad that you are taking care of it. I'll keep you in my prayers for a speedy recovery and hopefully I'll see you at the races again soon! Please continue to touch base now and again. :)

"Hello,

Congratulations on your great half up here in Sac. I don't know if you remember or not but I was running with your for the first 2 miles. Before the 2nd mile marker, I caught my foot in a pot hole. You reached out to grab my elbow to keep me up. You asked if I was ok. I didn't respond. I was is too much pain and as much as I wanted to say yes and have it be true, I knew it wasn't. At that instant I had broken my foot. I walked to the start, went home and got X rays that confirmed what I had feared. I'm now on crutches and non weight bearing for a while. That was a horrible day for me as I was also training for Boston and using that race as a tune up. I was happy to see you went on to run a pr! I'm not sure most people would slow down to help a stranger mid pr effort but you did. I have wanted to thank you since that day. So thank you for being there, being concerned and helping me. Your half time shows that the sub 3 marathon is in your reach. Your workouts look to support it as well. SO I wish you all the best in Boston. Run well for the both of us."

Steph I will think of you when I run Boston!