A Weekend Full of Women

For the few men who read my blog, don't get excited...is wasn't full of women in "that" way.

When I was younger I never seemed to care about having female friends. Whether it was because of my own insecurities or my one track mind that always happened to evolve around the current guy I was dating, I never made time to get to know others who swam in the same superior gender pool as myself. Over time it's become painfully clear that to impress and get along with other women means way more than doing so to our counterparts. No offense guys, I appreciate you for your limited capabilities but to the women in my life, well, I salute you. My existence would probably be lacking if I didn't have my girlfriends.

On Saturday my friend Kelly from PA came to town and we ran on the Buckeye Trail. The weather wasn't as cooperative as I would have liked but she didn't bat an eye at the cold drizzle that welcomed us onto to the path. This was her first time running this trail (she just ran a half marathon last month). I met her on the Weight Watcher message boards so I was nervous about meeting her face to face for the first time but once I met her I realized I had nothing to worry about-she's as funny and cool in real life as she is in invisiland. It's a shame she doesn't live closer because I would love to run with her on a more consistent basis. It's so nice when you're in someone's presence that puts you so instantly at ease. We chatted the whole 8 miles so the time flew by! I was kinda sad to see the run end cuz I felt like we could have just gone on forever. Afterwards we went to the Winking Lizard for lunch and a very well deserved beer. I swear, that beer tasted so fucking good for some reason...as did the food but that's not such a surprise coming from the fat girl that still resides in my head.

Then today I met up with Red & Debi along with the rest of the group for 13 miles. Contrary to yesterday's weather, this morning was screaming perfection from the minute I stepped outside. The air still had a light chill in it but the coolness felt good against my bare, shorts clad legs. As I drove the route to Lock 29 something came over me, something that seemed to put every nerve in my body on notice-this run was going to be good. Descending into the valley, the fog of early morning was slowly taking it's time in burning off but the effect it created was spectacular. The filtered sun welcomed me like a playful child, begging me to run and find out what lay beneath the fog. I met the group in the parking lot and we set out for what promised to be an enjoyable trip. Feeling strong while running is always like getting an unexpected gift-doesn't really matter what's inside the box, just the fact that someone was thinking of you is enough to make you smile-that's what I feel like when my body obeys the wishes of my head. Just like with Kelly, I feel instantly at ease with these women I ran with today (with the men too but talking about that defeats the purpose of this post, so I digress). This was only my second time running with them but their ease of manor and personality makes me feel as though this was a ritual I'd been doing for years with them.

So to sum it up, the women in my life are priceless. I'm lucky-I have an abundance of smart, beautiful, witty females that grace me with their presence. It turns out they're my unexpected gift.