Dec. 24, 2018 – Washington Co., WI – Today I completed 24 years, 358 days of not missing a day of running. That’s 9,123 days in a row and run No. 19 of the 25 Runs of Gratitude.
The other day, one of the runners that joined me on one of the 25 Runs of Gratitude asked if these runs have messed with my running routine. They also asked if I prefer to run alone.
I usually run first thing in the morning on weekends or any day I have a night activity. The majority of the time I run at night after work. I rarely have the opportunity anymore, but I prefer to run with someone else. I never run with headphones. I have enjoyed the last few weeks running with a variety of new friends and old friends. I have always taken the opportunity to run with someone else.
Last summer, I had some interesting runs with my son Jack and his friend Cal. The two of them would start with a friendly discussion about politics, then it would get a bit heated. Suddenly, our nine-minute pace was closer to a seven-minute pace. They are on different sides of the political aisle, and the more heated the argument, the faster we ran.
This past Thanksgiving my nephew Lee from New York visited. He was at the age and in good enough shape that I asked him if he wanted to go on a run with me. He told me about his soccer team in Connecticut and his team in New York. He talked about his little brother and different friends he has at school. He also talked about his house in Brooklyn which was recently remodeled. The Run has been a great way for me to get to know people better.
The past two years I have spent numerous weeks in Florida watching volleyball in June. Running in Florida in June is tough. I had some great runs with my nephew’s daughter Alexis in Port St. Lucie. We would get up early and go for a run at about 7:15 when it was still a cool 85 degrees. Alexis would ride her scooter and we would run around a man-made lake, keeping our eyes open for alligators. Alexis would talk about her dance classes and her little brother. She would talk about the cool new restaurant that just opened near her house. It was a Culvers. We would get back from the run and we would drink ice water on their lanai. A lanai is what we call a porch. We would cool down and talk for another 30 minutes.
Today we ran for Inspire of Washington County. Inspire matches business with students. It works like a match.com. John or Jill are in High School and they are interested in a career. Inspire has companies that offer careers that John and Jill want. The companies need to hire John and Jill someday. Inspire matches the company with the student and provides field trips, shadow opportunities, and mentors to help the student be successful. When John or Jill are done with their education, hopefully they end up working for that company. That’s a simplified explanation, see Sarah and Brenda at United Way of Washington County for more information. Every business in Washington County should be involved with Inspire.
Today’s run was sponsored by MCR Services and Mountain Outfitters. Kevin and Mike joined us for today’s run. It was another very hilly course. Will Schroeder…what have you been thinking lately?
Tuesday, Dec. 25 is Christmas Day and we will run from Karl’s Place at 10 a.m.
Moraine Park staff donated the $1,000 and a little more to sponsor our Christmas Day run. See you then!
To date Pete Rettler’s 25 Runs of Gratitude have benefited the Boys & Girls Club, Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County, Easterseals SE WI, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County, Kettle Moraine YMCA, Elevate, Friends, Inc., Family Center of Washington County ,Consumer Credit Counseling Service and the American Red Cross SE WI.