a best friend and getting beat by a bird



You know how they say that you never really understand how great a period of your life is until after the fact?

I feel like the opposite is true when it comes to this past summer.  My friend Katie and I started running on Easter Sunday.  We did the couch to 5k program at first, the one that tells you when to walk and run in different intervals.

 

We spent the following months running together whenever we could, usually when kids were in bed at night, doing fun races, and having like, the best time ever.  It wasn't that we love running, it was just so fun to get out of the house, do something that made you feel better physically, and talk about EVERYTHING during all those miles

We talked about nutrition, ice cream, alcohol, vitamins, protein powder, and more ice cream...

We talked pregnancies, babies, kids, husbands, friends and families...

We talked about growing up, high school, college, marriage, and the future...

And Katie got scared of dogs.

We talked about so many things and I can't say enough how thankful I am for this past summer... I knew it was special then and am still so thankful for it now.

 

I don't mean to write this all in past tense, hopefully we can keep running together through the winter, but winter in MN can be pretty lame so we might have to move it indoors!  You'd think all this running would make me a total speedster, but....



Last weekend I ran a 5k by myself, which is weird because I always run with Katie (or Brent.)  I went to the race by myself (also weird) and was hanging out near the starting line waiting for the race to begin.  The 5k was held at a local college, and their mascot is a huge bird, maybe a falcon?  Anyway, the falcon mascot was taking some photos with people and I heard one guy ask the large bird if he planned to run the 5k in less than 20 minutes again (last year the guy in the bird suit ran without the bird suit, they mentioned).  I laughed and thought, "there's no way the person in a bird suit can run that fast.... if nothing else I can beat the bird!"

Nope.  See the bird?  Now see the person behind the bird in a pink top with blue shoes?  Me.

 

Maybe next year.

*not sure who to photo credit the bird photo to- it was just up on their website.