S is a true friend.
We first met when our mother's decided that in an attempt to make our transitions to high school less awkward we should join the field hockey team and enlisted the local gym teacher to give us some lessons in my backyard. We both made the team and played for one year.
Field hockey wasn't our thing and really, there was no escaping the social awkwardness.
We did however both swim on our separate swim teams and we spent our summers life guarding. And let me tell you ... those were the days.
But I digress.
S is now a triathlete and I take some responsibility for that. I encouraged her to sign up for her first race and brokered the deal pursuant to which she bought Sara's first bike and made it hers. I convinced her to sign up for her first oly race, which she DNS because she wound up pregnant - which was good (the pregnancy - not really the DNS).
But she is back in the swing of things and I will be with her for her first oly in a few weeks. I also knew that she was planning on her first 1/2 marathon a few weeks ago. As is typical of my life lately, I got the weekend of her race mixed up and told her I was going to be in town for it and would be there to cheer (I in fact had plans to be in town the next weekend).
When S asked if I wanted to run the race with her, I couldn't say no. So I said yes, only sort of querying as to whether it fit within the plan (it sort of did). As a result I was with S for literally every step of her first 1/2 marathon.
And let me just say, we've come a long way since field hockey in my backyard.
I was there to run with S, not to beat any records. So the goal was to beat 2:30 and we did with 7 minutes to spare. In the beginning I thought I'd stay with her for a few miles, maybe half the race, maybe even the first 10 miles and then I'd see what I had left. But as we ticked off and talked through consistent rainy 11 minute mile after consistent rainy 11 minute mile I really had no desire to go off and suffer on my own. I did have the desire to make sure that S met her goal.
I remembered back to when I started running and would meet my group one night a week and every Saturday. I thought of the people that stayed one step ahead of me offering up distracting banter through my first 10K, my first 1/2 marathon and my only marathon. I remember those friends fondly even if they didn't really leave a mark on my heart.
So together we ticked off the rainy miles one by one. I was with S when ran further than she ever had before, I was with her when she ran longer than she ever had before, I was with her when with 1 mile left she was ready to be done and I was with her when I lied about where the finish was (I was really confused, I THOUGHT it was right there) and she started her sprint to the finish too soon and thought she'd have to walk in it - she didn't, I slowed down so she could catch up and with puking a distinct possibility we finished strong together.
So despite the crappy conditions, it was a good day, a fun day, with a friend. And really that is why I do this. For the friends (and the license to eat).
Subsequent to my race with S I did my first multi-sport event of the season. And, um, wow. More on that later this week.
*Yeah, I know that the real quote states that "many people will walk in and out of your life, but true friends will leave footprints in your heart." The cheese factor there is a bit too high for me though.
