The Wildwood Trail Run

This year I spent my Labor Day morning at the Wildwood Trail Run 10K. I had not planned at all to run this race...at least not until Sunday evening when my running buddy Maria announced to me that she was going to run it. Now mind you...typically I just say "hey great--good luck to you!" when a friend tells me they are running a race the very next day. But this was Maria...

• Maria who got me back into running to begin with 3 years ago...
• Maria who convinced me to train for and run my first marathon last year...
• Maria who FRACTURED HER FEMUR while training for that marathon and thus left me running the marathon alone last fall...
• Maria who has had 2 surgeries and 3 giant screws put into her femur (the last surgery being a mere 12 weeks ago)...
• Maria who was going to go run her first run of any sort in the last 13 months...

And I was not about to go and let her do it WITHOUT me!

(Maria and I before starting the race...Maria on the left and I'm guessing if you are reading this blog you know which one I am)

So off we went to the Wildwood Trail Run, Labor Day 2009. Our first run together in 13 months and wouldn't you know it...that chick ran the WHOLE DOGGONE THING! In fact, had it not been a single-file wooded trail that kept her stuck behind me (I was playing the role of "pacer" to keep her from running too fast) she probably would have run it faster than she did!

So, hats off to Maria in her return to running! That darn girl has already got me signing up for my next marathon...June 2010!