Did you ever watch droplets of water collect on glass? How about on a windshield or a window pane?
I have plenty of times because I live in Erie. We get our fair share of rain. It's when the individual water droplets connect that fascinates me. One runs into another, runs into another, and soon you have a long trail of flowing water, gathering momentum. Then the water moves on to another place. Perhaps it pools together somewhere, or maybe it gets absorbed into the ground. Those droplets serve their purpose.
Droplets of water are kind of like people. They find one another eventually to serve a larger purpose. This reminded me of my run last weekend. It was such a good experience, I thought I'd share in on a bonus midweek blog post. Read on, about how my droplets of water formed together to make a moving stream of positive energy.
Last Sunday, those of us guarding the north shore finally got a little break. Some sunshine and the first time the temperatures hit 60!
Teeny tiny flowers bloomed in the grass.
The red winged blackbirds were squawking in flocks on the tree tops.
And likewise, out came a flock of ladies.
That is a crew of women I took along with me on my Winter Winery Run Challenge. Inspired by my new group of friends at Team Adrenaline, I set a fitness goal for the winter months so that I didn't lose all the strength and stamina I worked all fall for. Eloise looks at fitness from a new perspective now. It doesn't have to be costly or need any equipment. All one needs is some determination, a good pair of shoes, and a gang to support you. Running up and down a hill, playing tree tag with my kids in the front yard, or even sled riding with them can be turned into a workout.
My creative eye spied this sign last fall.
It hangs on the parking lot post of 6 Mile Cellars, the winery across the street from my house.
The winery is located in a historic barn. This photo was taken from the Lamp Post window.
I thought it would be fun to try to run to all the wineries on the list throughout the winter.
Here our progress.
I wrote OUR progress above because my challenge has become a group effort.
We always grab a group shot at the start,
and again at the finish.
And along the way, I snap pictures of them.......
That's the great exchange if you participate. You risk a butt shot. Eloise is always running at the back of the pack. That's Kenyan, my speedy fast sister at the front. No matter what your style is, come with us. I am sure you will fall somewhere in between.
I guess my sis and I have inherited the love of running from our folks. Well.....not quite. But they stood at the end of their driveway to cheer us on as we ran by.
Don't feel sorry for Old Eloise, doggin' it behind the rest of the pack. I entertain myself. Outdoor runs are great opportunities for photographs. I carry a camera with me the whole jaunt. I like to show people where I've been, so I snap away as I go, and then run to catch up with the pack. Interval training at it's finest.
I've learned over the past year, it is nice to run with a group. Prior to this, I've been a loner during my runs, completely content with Tim McGraw in my ears to keep me company. However, I've learned there is safety in numbers. Eloise by nature is a 'fraidy cat. I startle easily.
I'm really afraid of dogs, especially the big farm dogs that chase runners down like cattle. I assigned my friend and teammate Leslie to run Lookout. She ran a little ahead of me and scoped for dogs. Leslie babysat me the entire time and showed me that these were really not the dogs I had mistaken them for. Curse you, Lawn Ornaments!
I felt so loved when Leslie would look back at me as we were running along. It's nice to be in the company of friends when you are scared and a little winded. I actually worried what they all would think as I snapped this set of pictures.
I better shoot fast........
....because surely they will be worried if they see this scene.....
NOT!!!!
I caught them at the corner. I didn't clonk them upside the heads like I wanted to, because they were all standing in a girl-shield formation to warn me of two big, barking dogs. Thank you Lord for invisible fencing!
In the end we all felt strong!
And we purchased some wine,
And some jewelry!
Eloise is passing on the alcohol for a few more weeks, but I bought a souvenir bottle that I've been looking at for five days. Since I couldn't wine taste, I had to make a purchase based on clever marketing. I liked the name of this one: White Lies. The description is very clever. Eloise likes clever, so I forked over the ten bucks and made a date with it another day.
If looking at the running didn't get you interested, maybe the wine and the jewelry did. Thinking of trying some outdoor exercise? Call me. Or Kenyan. Or Tracy. Or Heather. Or Leslie. Or Stacey. We'd all be glad to trot along with you. It doesn't take long to build stamina. You just need some persistence and a friend along with you.
And a little wine, of course.
The momentum is building. I can feel it. More and more people want to begin to take control of their health and challenge their bodies to do new things. Word will spread through social media when the next one is planned for, most likely in a couple of weeks. Anyone is welcome to come along. Bring a friend or three.
You all have encouraged me so much, I thought you deserved your own space in cyber world this week. Thanks again everyone for coming along.
See you again on Friday night!
Eloise
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