The Gift of Health

Sometimes I have to choke back tears when I look at these pictures because running is one of the greatest gifts I have given myself EVER! It is spiritual, mental and physical. It is like an old friend that has seen me through times of stress and times of joy. I have travelled to run with girlfriends. I have run up mountains, I have run behind my husband, I have run on cobbled roads, I have run hours and miles around Canyon View trail, I have run the dark streets of Campbell River and Victoria while the world was sleeping, I have run under a scorching sun (hey, Ethel!!!), I have run 1/2 marathons in the driving rain and I have run in other countries.... But the most amazing and incredible experience for me has been sharing this passion with my eighteen year old son, Julian. He started seriously running when he was fifteen. We even celebrated his 16th birthday staying in motel in Nanaimo so we could run the Gutbuster trail run the next day. Not many moms get to share this kind of time with their teenage sons. I am soooooooo blessed! Not that we are ever running together at these events. Julian is a very talented long distance runner and is usually done 20 minutes to a half hour before mom sees the finish line. Often at a tough race, he will double back to find me in the crowd and run to the finish with me. We share post race snacks and battle stories. We have done events such as the Gutbuster series and the Kusam Klimb that are really tough races and relived the milestones kilometer by kilometer on the ride home - if we are awake!

Sometimes I think, I will never, ever do this race again (think Kusam Klimb) and then Julian calls and says "hey, let's do it" and I am off again running down some road or trail.

Sometimes our gifts don't come in boxes with bows but with the experiences we have in our lives with the peeps we love...