Say "HELLO" to my little friend!

Yesterday I just didn't have a minute to post. I am the slowest at typing anyhow. And as you ALL have noticed I am NOT a writer so I usually have to edit everything a half dozen times. Even after editing I still have mistakes. I AM SO A WRITER...I AM A RUNNER!
The point is I just didn't have the time for all that.

I did have time to RUN.

The truth is I wanted someone to run with me. Thursdays are Danielle and my running day. Danielle went on a cruise. HOW DARE she leave me behind in this God Forsaken Freezing Tundra!

So I have a friend whom I admire a lot. He is an "OLD Warrior".  "Jeff" is going to be 61 in March. Jeff qualified for Boston!! This has been a DREAM of his for years. He has been running since high school...That was probably his means of transportation! (OLD JOKE)
Jeff is stitched together by running. He knows the fasted kids in the country. He follows all runners. He remembers the runners and their times from 20 years ago. He gets antsy when he talks about them. He can calculate your marathon pace within seconds of knowing your 800m splits. He can review your training and project the times of your future races within seconds! Jeff goes to the high school meets and just enjoys watching the runners. He stands there all jittery predicting their times and always spot on! He is not a coach no matter how much I have tried to convince him to be one.
Jeff got injured last fall. He struggled with the Crim in August with his feet. Plantar Fasciitis. A nasty nagging injury.
He took some time off in hopes that it would heal. Jeff got a membership at the club in January and started to slowly train.
THE TRACK: I texted him to see if he was going to be running yesterday and see if I could join him. I wanted a partner. I knew that everyday that Jeff was at the gym was a TRAINING day.
I was happy to see he said I could join him.
I did his training.
800m w/u
6X800
800m c/d
I didn't want to mess his training up. I asked if I could just run at his heals. Jeff is a very consistent runner. He did his 800m very well. He was gassed at the end of them. A couple times I had to remind him to run strong and get his posture back up. I didn't want him to get mad at me though.
By the time he did his last 800 he kicked it in. He remained strong with me talking to him from behind.
"You HAVE to do this Jeff."
"That's it, that's it, FINISH Strong."
When he could catch his breath he repeatedly thanked me for pushing him and helping him.

No, yesterday wasn't about Anita. Sure I could have run my routine 8 miles. But it was more fun to run with Jeff and see him reach his goals. I still did a couple miles after he left making my total miles 7.
I found it interesting that Jeff's mantra was the same as mine earlier this week. "You just Have to do it."
"You do not have another option."

It is that mind set that gets it done. You have to control your thoughts. Our Mind is more powerful than our legs.
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My son had a basketball game out at Swartz Creek. They beat us a few weeks ago by almost 20!
Austin my 14 year old is a great basketball player but he lets failure hold him hostage. If he shoots and misses a basket he just won't shoot anymore. The crowd always encourages him to shoot because they know he can do it.
Last nights game was no exception. He was having a great game but he missed a lay up. You could instantly see the discouragement steal his joy. Very soon he had the ball again. The crowd coaxed him into shooting a 3 pointer. It was very intense. He shot and made it! Again and again he made 3 pointers.
He score 18 points and played very well. His team ended up winning the very good team of Swartz Creek. Yes, he still had some mistakes in there but he conqueror himself!
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Yesterday was about being on the sidelines for someone else. It is equally as important to be on the sidelines for others as it is to run your own race. It is a good reminder that life is not always about YOU. Sure we can make it all about us. But it feels so good to put your own training, your own issues aside and encourage someone else.

Anita