Have a Little Faith

8th July 2013

At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away.

The ever so wise words of Dr. Meredith Grey, that Shonda Rhimes sure is on to something here. Faith really is a funny little thing. It may be in God, in Buddah, in your parents, in some unknown being in the sky, but one thing remains true: if you want to make it through the rainy days, you better have a little Faith in someone or something that is bigger than yourself.

Faith is the confidence to trust that it will all work out and that the plan for tomorrow is beyond your own control. It’s the fact that although it rained the past five days, and we thought we might go mildly insane from a lack of outdoorsy-ness, we survive. And then this shows up (well the sky, of course).

Could there possibly be a sweeter reminder? Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the details of the day-to-day, or worse still let the details dictate the day. There will always be bad meetings, searching for the perfect place to call home that takes too long, coworkers and family members that drive you batty, but it’s reminding ourselves that those details all come together to write the most perfect endings that counts.

So OK, Big Guy, you win. I suppose you do know why we all need a little rain, a little rest and a little cotton candy in the sky to bring it all back into perspective.

Counting down to the Peachtree Road Race

1st July 2013

If you’re looking for a reminder as to why running can be such a fantastic way to stay in shape, build a community or challenge your personal self, look no further than Peachtree Road on a warm Fourth of July morning. In a few short days, nearly 60,000 of those people will hit the streets for 6.2 miles of Atlanta’s finest heat, hills and humidity, but what makes the Peachtree Road Race so special is so much more.

Maybe I have a sentimental spot because this is the race that introduced me to running. I crossed six miles for the first time on this course only three years ago.

Maybe it’s because no where else will you pass people that range in age from just barely into double digits, to those who will soon see the light of three numbers to their age. Or spot a group who takes this whole thing a little less seriously, by cheering beers and shots for every mile … while running.

Maybe it’s the unforgettable flag at the starting line or waking up to the roar of helicopters overhead P’s parents’ house just before dawn. Or the group of Marines carrying full gear in the scorching heat.

The first mile seems to fly by and before you know it, you’re rounding mile number two where you’re greeted by a flicker of holy water from the Cathedral of Saint Phillip. Mile three brings the assent up cardiac hill, and even though I’ve lived along this thoroughfare for nearly three years, it never seems to get any easier. The furbus greets you at mile five, without whom getting past the Brookwood split would be the hottest, most sun drenched and draining leg of the race. And onward to midtown, where I’ve logged more miles in the rain, sun and even on occasion snow, than likely any other one place in this city.

The Peachtree Road Race holds quite a few sentimental trophies (or coveted t-shirts) near my heart and I know I’m not alone in the feeling. In three days, I’ll be back at the starting line, ready to add 6.2 more miles to my running relationship. And I’ll finish it along with 60,000 other people, who I hope uncover the same excitement in celebrating what makes running, Atlanta and our country great every step of the way.

The road to recovery

17th June 2013

My running relationship has been a rocky one for the past six weeks. Here’s the rundown: take a three week break, get impatient, run three times, think my knee might explode again, take two more weeks off, survive an early morning Peachtree practice run with friends, another quick two miler with the BF and today on my first solo adventure out the door this happened…

(Actually, that photo is from another storm a few weeks ago. Trust me, you don’t want to see a selfie of what I looked like after this one, just take my word that there was a lot of running mascara involved and the cloud that monsooned on me for three miles was just as dark.)

Sometimes it simply amazes me how wonderful those little winks are from the big Guy. Running in the rain is my absolute favorite. Even more so when I’m already out the door. Even more, more so when I’m soaked to the bone and get hit with a tidal wave of water from a speeding car on Peachtree Street.

Thanks for the welcome back to running. I’m looking forward to keeping this up.