Despite being a lapsed runner, I was inspired to lace up my sneakers and run this past Sunday. I was undeterred by the cold (28 degrees), the snow, and the wind. Instead, like Forrest Gump, I was running!
As I ran, I drew attention. I live near Heinz Field, where the Steelers play. And, this past Sunday was game day. So, on my run, I have to run past the revelers. I saw men drinking beer in open containers, and so did the cops. One of the men was instructed to pour out the beer. When he decided to drink the beer instead, he was chastised.
As I ran further, I ran past a few churches. I saw people going to church with pinched faces and looking at me quizzically. Because it had started snowing at that point, I wanted to shout out, "Please pray for me. I should be in church instead of running out here like a crazy person!" Instead of shouting, I just kept running. I figured that God understood that even though my body was outside, my heart was in church. Even if He didn't get that message, I hoped that he'd have mercy on my soul and on my body and lead me home safely.
At about mile 2, it got really windy. It was so windy and snowy that I couldn't really see. A man shouted out at me. He said, "Girl, you sure picked some day to go running!" I agreed with him, but by this time I was far from home and the quickest way to get back was to keep running. Then I remembered, part two of my plan. I had to go grocery shopping.
So, rather than go home, I went to the grocery store to purchase baking goods. The best thing to do on a winter day is to bake cookies! Some may think that all of that baking defeats the purpose of running, but that's not true. I was making cookies to give away for the holidays. Anyway, before I started baking I had to get home.
It was much more difficult to walk home than it was to run. As I walked I began to think that I should watch the news more often so that I knew the forecast. I am really not that committed. I didn't know that it was going to be so windy and snowy. Had I known, my inspiration to run would have been "chilled".
Still, despite my whining, the run was worth it. As my friend Jeff says, running warms the heart!
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