Overheard: Preschool Pickup

"Yeah, I like jogging. But I only do it for a month at a time and then I quit."

Let's review why this sentence was notable to me:

1. Jogging. No one jogs anymore. We run. Even if you're running a 13 minute mile, you're RUNNING. Joggers find dead bodies in parks. Runners collect t-shirts and medals. KEEP RUNNING!!!

2. One month of running. That's a warm-up. In 4 weeks you have just about established the groundwork for some serious mileage. After 4 weeks you can start speed work. Or start adding distance. After 4 weeks is when the magic happens. KEEP RUNNING!!!

3. Quitting. You're not quitting something if you keep doing it over and over again (i.e. drinking or smoking). You're just taking a break. Breaks happen. Sure. I don't have a problem with breaks. I take breaks all the time. Just don't quit. KEEP RUNNING!!!


Preschool mom and I don't run together. She's offered. But I've never run with a stranger before, and I'm nervous about being too slow. But this morning I handed her a pamphlet for the DetermiNation team. I told her that if she ever wanted to run a distance race they could train her to do it. Running for a charity adds a lot of things to a run. It keeps you accountable to people. If you quit, you let people down. It gives meaning to the miles you log- you're running to do some very real good in the world. And finishing the race is that much sweeter when you have an awesome fundraising total next to your name.