Running with the Crowd

My day started before the sun came up. I joined a new running group that's perfect for me: go about a 6-mile loop before anyone else in the family has even pressed the snooze button, including the dog. I raced to the meet-up spot to realize that only one or two start there. "Huh, small crew," I thought, but that was before we encountered two or three others every half mile until three became twelve. It was a good route too--a couple hills, a cut on and off the trail, a little bridge--and the company was great.

Because I'll never forget the time I braved the darkest morning on my own and found myself being followed by a slow-moving sedan. Just behind me this car lurked house after house for long enough that I was sure I would be scooped up and hauled to some abandoned bunker. I had barely a plan of escape when I heard a sudden crack of a gun shot. It stopped me in my tracks, and my heart almost burst from the shock. Until I realized it was no gunshot. Just the slap of a newspaper as its driver threw it out his open window. It was the paper boy. Still, I came out of that event with a simple resolution to stick with the buddy system. Looks like this promise will be easy enough to keep.