It’s hot and I’m sore and I can feel the muscles in my legs as they start to scream “we’re beat gal…maybe today’s just not the day.” But the brain’s a powerful thing and I’ve managed to flip the switch to my thunder thighs when they think it’s time for a break. It’s a quiet conversation I have with myself that often turns into a shouting match in the blink of an eye. There’s passion there. It’s honestly one of my first true loves. And it’s the thing that knows me best. All the good…and the bad. When I’m strongest and when I crumble in a lump on the dirt at the base of a mountain or by some gorgeous lake. It knows why I’m tired or hurting…because I’ve been here before and I’ll be here again. But that’s just it. Running can take us so many places and it can help us feel things we’ve never felt before. The highs are amazing but the lows will tear you apart. Disappointment like nothing you’ve ever felt. It’s like telling a friend you forgot their birthday and you’re sorry, but somehow you know you’ll never erase the guilt or even the shame. We attach an identity to our runs and our racing. It becomes us and somehow it can dictate how we spend most of our time. Hours and hours... and hours of our time. So on this Global Running Day, I send a prayer of gratitude out to my good friend, “the run.” Thank you for sharing the miles, the laughter, the tears and even the pain. You’ve been a rock solid constant in my life and I wouldn’t be me without you. Cheers to so much more of the same.