When I was in college, my good friend Deana and I would go walking in the mornings. We'd walk from the main campus down to the lake and back most mornings at about 7 a.m. After awhile, we started to recognize the other regulars who hit the street in the mornings for a little exercise. Whenever we'd pass a regular on the route, they would nod at us and we would nod back in return. We used to call this the "responsible nod" because it seemed a recognition from our peers that we were making a good decision to get up early and exercise.
One of our favorite regulars was this older guy who we'd often pass on the track around the lake. He was a sweet fellow and he'd always stop and say a few words or tell some little joke. We thought he was the cutest little guy. We saw him every morning we were out for the longest time. Then, one day, we didn't see him anymore and we wondered what happened to him. We missed our morning pleasantries and our responsible nod!
This morning, when I was out for my long run, I got a few responsible nods from the runners I passed. It made me smile and reminded me of my college days!
On the half-marathon front, I am halfway through my training with six weeks left until the race. This week, I finished 7.74 miles and shaved another seven seconds off my average pace. I feel pretty good about the fact that I have been able to consistently take seconds off my average pace especially considering that my average pace normally would slow down when I add distance. I've been adding a mile each week and have still managed to reduce my time. This week, I learned that I need to either eat before I run or take a snack with me when I run more than six miles. I was starving after about an hour of running and felt like I was going to pass out!
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