Runnin, Runnin, and Runnin Runnin

I am currently training for the Ukrop's 10k on March 27th. Who would have thought running would be so hard? I ran alot as a kid, granted I had a lot more energy, time, oh and a lot less weight to propel.

When we first moved here I was amazed at how many people are always running here in the Richmond area. You can always see someone running no matter what the time of day or weather or day of the week. I would joke, who are all these people running from?
Since I'm getting into this subculture of running, and believe me it's a subculture I've discovered there are different kinds of runners.

1) The Runner: this person looks like a runner, usually tall and lean, probably never tempted to eat girl scout cookies because it could impede their running. They are usually in typical runner garb, maybe "Live Strong" yellow. They are usually the ones running when it's freezing or raining or 95 degrees outside. They LOVE running.

2) The Former Runner: These are people who used to be runners and probably destroyed their knees or hips or are just to old to be "runners" anymore. You can usually spot them because they might resemble a war victim they are so bandaged up as not to inflame an injury. You can usually spot a "former runner" by the look on their face. A mixture of determination, grit and the thought of "what the heck am I doing?"

3) Novice: That would be me. I'm a new runner and new runners keep hanging on to the words of their "runner" friends who say "just give it time, you'll love it". As a "novice" is running we're thinking, does my butt look like it's bouncing as much as it feels like it is? Is it possible for your heart to explode while running? You can also spot a "novice" because we haven't decided if we're going to invest in the typical "runner" garb. Sometimes I think I look like a homeless person jogging down the street, obviously I'm not running from anyone because my pace does not warrant fear.

So please pray the novices this season as we train for the race.