Glass Half Empty

Group training runs are ENTIRELY different than solo runs. Each requires getting from “Point A to Point A” (out and back with pounding in between) however training with a group permits you to talk out loud with others instead of just talking to yourself.
Our group does a lot of talking and we talk about a lot of different things. It is safe to say that over the past 15 weeks we have shared hundreds of conversations and grown more comfortable with each other through knowledge, understanding and respect. Considering our diverse backgrounds you wonder how an unusual group (gaggle) of people can build such a unique bond. We have an attorney, teacher, nurse, tv personality (Meteorologist), police officer, lifeguard, sales rep, etc. We are truly a “Rainbow Coalition”. Ethnic diversity, age diversity, economic diversity — you name it, we've got it. Opportunities to enrich or broaden yourself through friendships seem to grow scarcer as you grow older. This training schedule has forced me to step outside my box (which I always enjoy doing) and develop some new friendships.
Do you want a concept on how to solve some of the world’s problems?
Force leaders to meet on a weekly basis for 32 weeks and make them train together for a marathon. That’s right. And they MUST share ideas, discuss problems, debate positions, determine moral obligations, whatever — just run, talk, and DO something positive.
Ok, you’re laughing. I don’t blame you. It’s a ridiculous concept that would NEVER happen in a gazillion years. But I still think it’s cool to imagine our president running with a few of the other world leaders talking, laughing, encouraging and maybe even changing someone’s perceptions.
The foundation runners have logged over 107 miles of running together. That distance is a run from Downtown Jacksonville to Daytona Beach with a few miles to spare. We will reach our half way mark next week. Someone mentioned during our 16 mile training run on Saturday that they look at life situations in a “glass half full” optimistic manner.
I thought about this because I have that same optimistic approach, and then I smiled and thought to myself as we ran along — a “glass half empty” approach isn’t that bad when you apply it to running and your looking toward completion.
Enjoy the pictures. I’m going to try and get more images of the other runners. I also hope to get a few more “By The Numbers” done.

Thanks for your friendship.