Run for Sherry

This is so very very late since I moved (mostly) 2 weeks ago and went back to work last week. Better late than never, right?

I participated in the virtual Run for Sherry on February 11. Sherry was randomly abducted and killed while she was out for a run. So senseless.

I did 2 runs, one alone on February 11 and one on February 12 with my running buddies. The first run was my first 20 mile run in preparation for the Shamrock Marathon. The weather mostly cooperated. Light snow that didn't stick. Thankfully not as cold or windy as my other long run in the snow. Normally, I would have headed out to the bike path. But I like staying closer to home when it is snowing or very cold. That way, if anything happens, I am less than 2 miles from where I started at all times. So I headed out to my winter running route of 3ish mile loops on a relatively flat, wide, always cleared-to-the-pavement shoulder and bike lane. I caught a break early on of about an hour with no snow. I ran a little faster than I planned, but I wanted to capitalize on the break in the snow.

About 7 miles in, I wasn't paying attention and almost got hit by a car that ran a stop sign. The driver had her turn signal on too (a rarity for Rhode Island), so not only did I think she was going to stop but I also thought she was turning in a direction that would not have put the car in my path. I thanked Sherry for looking out for me.

My thoughts went all over the place. One word I kept coming back to was grateful. Grateful that I was out running. Grateful that I could run. Grateful that it wasn't snowing too hard. Grateful that I was out doing something I loved to do. I ran without my iPod the whole way. If I started to get sore, I thought about Sherry and this virtual run that was going on all over the place. I made it 20.5 miles with just me to keep me entertained. That is a no-music distance record. I honestly didn't miss it.

At the end of my run, I took a picture of my bib under a Play! Hope Street banner. A sign that said Hope? That seemed appropriate.


The next day, my running buddies and I headed out on the coldest day we've had this winter for about 5 miles at an easy pace. I was supposed to run 5 miles on the following day, but I decided to move that run up and do yoga instead. It was a smart adjustment in my schedule. We chatted and had fun and stayed warm. The miles ticked away. Then we went out for breakfast afterwards. I think we were more excited about hot coffee and yummy food than the run ;-)

Even in the darkness, there is hope. Hope wins every time.