Running

If you are an avid runner - perhaps you will want to excuse yourself from reading this post... hop on over to some Olympian blog where you will feel more comfortable.

Otherwise, I fear that you will lapse into a fit of "eye-rolling".

And don't bother to comment either. Thank you.

I mentioned in a previous blog, I have begun -well - jogging - sort of. Natural athleticism is not my strength and I don't even like running; but it's growing on me.

I was helping Ab to train for the Pumpkin Run, so I thought I would let her see what it was really like to run alongside a pumpkin.

Anyway, the Pumpkin Run is over now, but I like (to some degree) the way running-er-trotting- makes me feel (after it's over). So I am still - uh -running(?).

The thing is, I am having to do this after dark most of the time. Which is alright because the cool night air is refreshing - but at the bottom of my course it is difficult to see.

I am also having a little more trouble getting someone to run along with me: Ab is fairly faithful but not as passionate as she was in the days leading up to the Pumpkin Run; AA is not big on commitment but he joins in at times.

Last night all three of us ran.

No one could seem to get up for running until I was about to walk out the door, then AA said he would join me. About the time he was suited up, Ab decided that she would also take the challenge.

Working flashlights are scarce around our house. I usually keep one sacred source of illumination near our bedside in case of emergencies, but if either of the kids ever gets their hands on it - it's over.

Their closets become a sort of graveyard for forgotten flashlights that "might work again if we get new batteries".

For running, we have one of those key rings with the tiny light. They last awhile and it is just not that interesting to take them apart.

Here's a tip: If you are going to run in a wooded area in the dark, and there are three runners and one of them is a comedian. Do NOT give the comedian the flashlight.

AA carried the light - it shone everywhere but on our pathway. And soon AA fell behind as he thought it would be funny to feign night blindness and "run" into one tree after another alongside the driveway.

He compounded his distraction factor by insisting on wearing cleats. So I advised him to run in the grass instead of the driveway.

Ab and I (the "serious" runners) did have time to talk a little and we were able to experience a majestic view of the stars in the crisp, clear night sky.

We finished one mile and Ab was done, so she and Tanner (our old Lab) crashed into two dark lumps at the top of our driveway. I went on to complete the second mile, which is my limit so far... okay, stop rolling your eyes!

AA had not completed his mile in fact I called into the darkness a few times for him to blink his light so I could locate him, which he finally did. He was sitting beside the driveway. I found out later that he had taken a real tumble and was nursing a skinned knee.

Tonight I ran again, AA joined me and Ab and Mom studied for upcoming tests.

I am trying to encourage them to sing while we run so that it will regulate our breathing. On the previous night, every song lapsed into "Jingle bell, Batman smells - Robin laid an egg; Batmobile lost a wheel...."

Tonight AA suggested that he and I sing the three Christmas songs he is learning for his guitar recital... but we could never finish more than two lines before he would burst into some excited chatter about something completely off-subject that had suddenly popped into his head.

He began to describe how he was "staying on the course" - or the driveway, even though it was difficult to see it at times. He told me that he was "a skilled courser" because he had figured out

how to stay on the driveway even in the dark.

Though his footfalls were heavy at times, the little man stayed with me... all the way until we made the full two miles.

Now I have spoken in the past about my dislike for running... but I have learned that any endeavor is somehow more tolerable if I am accompanied by my family. They just make life worth getting through.

Our family is an amazing gift the Heavenly Father has given us to reveal His own joy in the fellowship of His children.