Running partners

I was thinking just the other day how many different running partners I have had throughout my running life. I was also thinking how all of them have had an impact on me in some way or another. My sister was telling me how she would rather run alone. We discussed that we both view running as somewhat of a spiritual experience (some will understand and some will not, sorry that is all there is to it). It is our time to reflect, ponder, pray, receive answers, and organize life in general. She recently had a baby and I am pregnant so neither of us are getting our full dose of running right now. Anyhow I thought about how I loved both aspects of running I have experienced. The lone long distance runs that help put life into it's proper place, but also the bonding and learning I have received from running partners. So I thought I would list my various running partners and something I learned from them.

Sky View running girls (Track/Cross Country): There are far too many to name them all specifically but I ran a lot of miles with these girls (and I guess boys, too). The biggest thing I learned from them was to have fun! One time we were out running and I literally went down face first. I just sat there for a minute, but soon we were all laughing...good times!
Sarah: This girl is one of my best friends! I love her to pieces. The greatest thing about her is that we never lose contact. Whenever we have the chance no matter how many years have passed we run. Sarah and I have run on and off for more than 10 years. We always have such a great time together. Sarah has taught me so many things, but the one thing I will say is that she first taught me to push myself. She was always just ahead of me at races and I wanted to push to stay close to her.
Logan ladies: When I was in college someone came into my workplace and saw a running shirt I had on. We talked about running and before I knew it we were running together along with a few other ladies. The lady who first asked me to run I thought I would hate running with. We had such different personalities and truthfully it was just boring. Well, I ended up loving to run with her because she was very near my pace and even pushed me some. Also she had been married for awhile and had a few kids, so I learned a lot about that from her.
Kathy: I loved running with Kathy. She was my most undependable running partner EVER! I would often end up at her house where we had planned to meet only to find a note on her door that she couldn't go. I was always frustrated by this because I really did enjoy running with her. Kathy is a spunky girl and I learned how to just be myself from her. Also she taught me to eat gummy bears on long runs or marathons. She would eat one at each mile!
Kollette/Celia: I ran with these girls for almost a year. The one was single and in college, the other had her 6th child during our running time (oh, and she ran pretty much her entire pregnancy!). I learned how well running partners get to know you. Kollette knew I was pregnant almost before I did! I was struggling one day on a run and she knew that was it and it was!
Arizona girls:I ran with so many awesome girls in AZ. I will list them and things I learned from each one, but the bottom line I learned from them was dedication. All of them claimed to not be runners. They didn't really want to go with me because they didn't think they could do it, but they all did it and improved. Some have continued to run and others have done more than just that! Emily:I learned a lot about being a homemake from Emily. She is amazing at it and always inspired me in that way. Tiffany C.:Tiff was such a worker with me. She would get her baby up pretty early to come with me, because that is how she could make it work. She also discovered she was pregnant while running with me. I will never forget the conversations we had and then she realized why all the weird symptoms! Tausha:Tausha taught me what true friendship is all about. She also showed me that if you are athletic naturally you can just up and run 3 miles at anytime! :) Doorly:We didn't get to run together a lot, but I had to include Doorly because she was so hesitant to run with me only to go on after me and become a marathon runner. This girl is an animal and always running some big race now. I love it! Tiffany M.: Tiff taught me a lot about sewing, but I think she taught me most importantly to be happy. This girl is always happy, no matter what is going on in life! I love it. Alisha:Alisha was my last AZ running buddy and she ran one crazy long race with me. We had pretty much stayed around 3-5miles consistently. Then we/she decided we should run a 10 mile Thanksgiving race. It was such a great experience to share with her, even though I was sick!
Lindsay:This is one busy chicka, so we never got to run together a lot. The thing I learned most from Lindsay was to believe in myself and push myself. She would tell me often how fast I was and all I could think was I am just trying to keep up with her. She pushed/pulled me through the last few miles of my last marathon.

All of these people have had in impact on my life in some way. There are also others that I ran with less often, but they still impacted me! I know that there are people in our lives for a time and they all together make us who we are. I am glad to have been impacted by these people and glad it came through running!