Community of Runners (Part 2)

Saturday was the official running of the John Wilt Memorial 5K. Thanks to Facebook, I can tell you that John's friends were running everywhere on Saturday - thus far I've seen photo evidence of runners in Manhattan and Tuscon, and have read reports of others running, too. I expect more photos will be posted this week showing those runners in action. My friend Beth, the race's director, reported that the race started with John's best friend, TJ, and her husband (a fellow former Marine, like John) starting out 20 seconds early with the Marine flag. It was a somber start to the race, a true heart-felt and silent tribute to John. But, as John would have insisted, the race quickly picked up energy and excitement once the rest of the runners got going, ending with a post-race celebration with quite a large group of our classmates who were able to attend the race.

I originally thought just a few local runners would join me for my Washington-based tribute run. While my closest running gal friends showed up, I was thrilled that an additional 3 were able to join, bringing our tally to six moms out for an early morning 5K on Mother's Day Eve. Since we started in the parking lot by our local police station, we were able to flag down an officer to take our photo before he headed out on his rounds. The fog hadn't completely lifted yet when we got started, but it didn't slow us down any. With six runners on the course, we were able to comfortably split into two pace groups. One gal sprinted ahead to do a fast final mile (WAY faster than I could maintain - she truly left us in her dust!), but my neighbor and I managed a respectable 28:30 finish and we jogged back to accompany the second pace group to the finish just a few short minutes later. Two of those gals report that they ran PRs! We were truly "Girls Who Love to Run". And, yes, that is me with my yellow hat!

I don't remember the last time I ran with someone else, let alone a handful of women for a group run. I really enjoyed it. And apparently, so did they (not so surprising, based on what I've read on other people's blogs and on on-line running communities, group runs ARE inspiring). They asked if I'd put together some group runs again soon, which I plan to start-up in the next week (and already know of a few others who would like to run with us). And to top it all off, my neighbor and I decided today to sign-up and train for a fall half-marathon together since our pacing is so similar. I guess I AM doing a half this year, no more excuses!!

So, thanks to my friend Beth and our John (and his parents and close friends), for bringing together this little group of women in Duvall, WA for a run on Saturday. It seems their reach of influence far exceeds the John Wilt Memorial 5K - they're now responsible for influencing a Saturday morning running group and a pair of women who can count on one another for half-marathon training support. Aren't runners and girlfriends the best? I love being part of this community.

So what's next on my race plate? I'll be running with an 11 year-old girl for the Duvall Days 5K the first Saturday in June! Her parents won a package the REF auction that included a copy of my book and the chance to have me run with someone at the race. I'm excited!

Last Chance!

Get your comments in NOW for a chance to win the Sane Fitness cards I've been glowing about for 6 weeks. Tomorrow at 9PM EST I'll be drawing the name of the winner!! Please post your entry on the original post to be considered (though comments here are always welcome, too, they just won't help you win!). If you don't win them, there's still time to get free shipping for Mother's Day on the Sane Fitness website.

Today I'm keeping it simple with an easy update:

Running: 2 laps (roughly 5K) around Lake Tye in Monroe, pushing Little Sister (with a break to play at the playground with her!). Gearing up for the John Wilt Memorial 5K on May 9th.

Reading: Three Cups of Tea now . . . Artemis Fowl is next in line (Pavement Runner got me curious about Artemis Fowl).

Gardening: Bought 3 rose bushes to plant in the front yard along our new brick wall (photos to come when bushes are in the ground!)

Kids: Sound asleep after nearly 4 hours of outside time. I love spring!

Happy running, reading and playing!! Now go cast your entry for those cards!

The Community of Runners

One of my favorite aspects of running is how once you decide to run, you are instantly welcomed by an enormous community of runners. It doesn't matter how fast or how far you go, just mention to a fellow runner that you run and you're likely to get a response like, "Running is what gets me through the week," or "I hope to still be running when I'm eighty."

At one of my first races, The Lamplighter 5K in a dinky little Carolina town (can't remember if it was in North or South Carolina, as we lived along the border and ran races in both states regularly), I was following the Marathoning for Mortals run/walk training plan, so I'd take walk breaks regularly. I can't tell you how many times my fellow runners encouraged me with "Keep it up!" or "Lookin' good, Red!" There I was, new to the sport, but so openly welcomed. It was there that I also noticed for the first time that most of the runners started and finished their runs with smiles. Even the most serious of runners can't hide their smiles the entire time.

I wish I had discovered running when I was younger. Looking back, I'm surprised that I didn't. A friend of mine in high school was one of the top 5 girls in the state. An even closer friend of mine, John Wilt (or just "Wilt"), was a runner who managed to get in regular runs despite all of the marching band & football practices, guitar lessons, band practices with friends, volunteering and academic competitions he did. Now that I know running isn't something to be feared, I suspect that running may have been the glue that kept it all together for John. Sometimes he ran with friends, but I know that as much as he enjoyed socializing (EVERYBODY loved Wilt), I know he must have basked in the solitude of running from time to time, too.

John never knew me as a runner, though I wish he had. Running has made me a much better person than I ever was during our shared high school days. I like to think that he would have said, "Well, put on your shoes and let's go!" I can only imagine the wisdom I could have gleaned from a run with him - running or life-related, it wouldn't matter. Wilt had a way of just knowing. Knowing the right thing to say, knowing when not to say anything at all, knowing the perfect analogy to help you think more clearly, knowing that he was the perfect person to deliver harsh reality to you instead of sugar coating the truth or dancing around it. He served up Truth better than anyone I've ever known.

The last time I saw John was at my wedding, three years before running got its wonderful hold on me. Though he and I hadn't really seen one another for years (I moved before our Senior year), we stayed in touch some and he made a point to get leave from the U.S. Naval Academy to meet up with his parents for my wedding, for which I will be forever honored. He stayed right up to the very last dance, for which there were only about a dozen of us left in the whole place. Two short years later I returned to our common town for his memorial service.

On Sunday, May 9th I'll be joining runners from all over the world (one of the benefits of being Air Force brats) to honor John's life and raise funds for the John Wilt Scholarship. While the actual run is in O'Fallon, IL, where John's parents still reside, I'll be running it right here in Duvall, WA. While some of his friends still live in the area, and are likely to be there in full force, I bet just as many of us will be taking part in the virtual event. I get chills just thinking about how our love for Wilt and his love of running are uniting us all.

Next time you go for a run, take a minute to think about how the running community has strengthened you and enhanced your life. And on Sunday, May 9th, if you run (make that "WHEN you run"), think of John and his far-reaching circle of family and friends who are running, too. I'll be thinking of John and the other runners who have influenced my path. While Wilt's feet won't be hitting the pavement like ours, he'll be there. Runners are always there for one another. John Wilt was a runner. And I'm proud to be a runner, too.

John Wilt graduated from O’Fallon Township High School in 1996. His interests included music, sports, math and science, literature, international relations and history. He was a member of the Honor Society, the concert and marching bands, the speech team, and Model U.N. He also played varsity football, participated in track and was active in his church. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Physics, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.

John died May 8th, 2002 in an aircraft accident while undergoing flight officer training at NAS Pensacola, Florida and was posthumously promoted to 1st Lieutenant in August 2008. In John’s memory, a $1500.00 renewable scholarship has been established to recognize a member of the graduating class who has enthusiastically pursued academic excellence, been involved in athletics and other extracurricular activities, and has displayed exceptional levels of commitment to achieving personal goals. Proceeds from the 5K run will apply directly to the scholarship fund. Visit http://sites.google.com/site/johnwiltscholarship5k for more information.