As Lynne and I were running our 20 miler yesterday, she mentioned something amazing, “ It was exactly four years ago today that I went on my first run.” WOW!!!!!  She has since completed numerous 5Ks and 10Ks, 3 half marathons, 3 Riverbank Runs, and is now training for her second marathon.

But she certainly didn’t start with marathons. On her first run four years ago, she ran 60 seconds, walked 90 seconds, and did this for 20 minutes.  Oh my! Has she come a long way??? Lynne has learned what many of us try to teach our kids- persistence, dedication, and hard work really pays off!!!   (We hope our kids are watching and learning.)

Lynne and I met in a Ladies Bible Study about 5 years ago. I was training for an Ironman and talking about running. She thought I was a little crazy at the time, but has now joined the ranks of people who have learned to love running too. Maybe it’s not the actual exercise that we love, but the chance to go outside in all kinds of weather and enjoy God’s beautiful world in a way people indoors just can’t. Maybe it’s the chance to get away from our jobs, our kids, our pressures, and just “BE” for a little while. But Lynne and I are hooked, so we join up every week for our long runs. We both have races the same weekend in September and run about the same pace. She loves to plan our routes with killer hills, but thankfully sets out water bottles along the route so we can refill along the way. We’ve shared hundreds of miles of great bonding, interesting conversations, and sharing cold water and Gu gels together. She loves my constant chatter that distracts both of us from the pain. I especially love telling her funny stories, making her laugh as we run up a hill.

I’ve learned to love Lynne as I’ve seen her love and dedication for God, her family, her friends, her horse, and of course… running.