Running Friends

I am by nature an introverted person and enjoy my alone time, which may be one reason I’ve embraced running so much. But with that, I also LOVE running with others.

I’ve run with others in the past, but these two girls (Joanne and Erin) have been some of my favorite running companions.

Joanne (on the left) somehow discovered my blog and reached out to me after she moved to Alaska last summer. Our first run together was a cold, windy, rainy miserable trail run last fall. Both of us are not big fans of trail running, so we hit it off right away. Since then we have been enjoying runs on the pavement.

I randomly introduced myself to Erin (on the right) at a race last summer after seeing her at several other races. We always finished around the same time, so she seemed like someone I would hit it off with. I never saw her hanging out with anyone else at the start, and since I was in the same boat, I thought we could benefit from each others company. We have.

Both ladies have been such a joy to run with. We are all pretty obsessed about running, which helps. Plus both Joanne and Erin are moms, so they have been mentoring me in that department as well.

I love the community runners have created. I have been able to hit it off the bat with so many people simply because we had running in common. We support and encourage one another and keep each other accountable when we’d rather not be running.

And since I know runners are very good about supporting one another, maybe some of you would be willing to help my friend Marne out. Marne and I worked together at a Christian summer camp. She was a joy to work with, and we have stayed in contact over the years. She is running the Chicago Marathon this fall and raising money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. If you feel it on your heart, please consider donating to her charity. The link to her donation page can be found HERE. (She is half-way to her goal!)