I'm not Irish but I consider myself Lucky

While running this morning, I got a lot of weird looks and a couple double-takes. Runners around here are rare, but it wasn't that. I wasn't going super fast and my apparel wasn't out of the ordinary. I may have looked funny, or crazy, though. I was having a blast. Pat Benatar's, Heartbreaker, contributed to most the excitement today. I actually repeated it three times- in a row- and got more into it every time. Have you ever danced, played the electric guitar or drums, or karaoke'd while you're running? If not, you should try it, especially when you're beat, it is completely energizing and displaces thoughts that your body hurts.

As I ran around the beautiful farms of New Jersey this morning I was thinking of why I consider myself lucky:

• I love running. I don't just enjoy how it makes me feel afterward or how it helps keep weight off. I love the act of running.
• Not only do I love running but Doug loves it just as much as I do (so much that we do it for date nights. Last week, instead of paying for a movie, we drove to new location and pounded the pavement for an hour). He proposed to me on a run.
• Every time Doug and I run together, it amps up our love for one another. Seriously. Phrases like, "man, I just love you." or "I'm so glad I married you" are said on every run together. Cheesy yet healthy, no?
• Because Doug and I both run, we understand that it is an essential part of the other person's life. For example, Doug got up on a Saturday at 6am to get his 13 miles in so that I could get my nine in before he goes into work.
• My Dad and I have a unique relationship that was nurtured through running. We trained for my first marathon together. I will for ever be grateful to my Dad for extending this challenge and prodding a 16-year-old along through it. I think of my Dad on every run.
• I have a special connection to many family members due to running, on mine and Doug's side. There have been many "family" runs on vacations which have been so memorable.
• I get to quietly experience nature and all of God's creations on every run. I appreciate both sun rise and set, the rain, the snow, the heat and cold, and the changing of all seasons. And then that rare day when everything in the air is perfect.
• Because I run where ever I go, I build a special connections with many places and become well acquainted with where I live by exploring. Memorable runs include: Hyde Park, London. Running from Queens to Harlem, down central Park, over the Queensboro and back home with Doug. Lake Powell with my Dad and Erika- From Lone Rock over the dam and into Paige, AZ. Zone 2 in Guatemala City. Running around the corn fields with my Dad in Gilbert, AZ. The old Bingham Highway with Karla in a lightning storm. Ephraim to Manti and back with Erika. And many runs in the mountains of Utah with Debbie- every one of them breath taking.
• I really hope my body is kind to me and that I can always be a runner.

If this sounds arrogant, I apologize...but hey- I'm just feelin' lucky.