Running has given me many gifts. The opportunity to make friends and race in high school; the ability to compete at the collegiate level and enrich my experiences during my years as a student-athlete; the experience of going to Athens to represent the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games; and now a life-long relationship. Adam and I met when we were both injured and were visiting our agent in New Jersey. Four years later, we are now engaged. Fitting that he proposed to me on a run!Since last weekend, I have repeated the story of our engagement dozens of times. Almost every time, someone asks me if we actually finished running or if we ran straight back to the car to call our parents. Of course we finished running! We never a cut our runs short unless one of us develops an injury (and I did almost injure myself that day because I kept looking down at my hand to admire my new ring).
We were running up a particularly steep hill when he proposed. I have hated this hill since the first time I ran up it four years ago. That hatred vanished in just one hour – I find that I have this sudden love for a hill that I did not enjoy running just a week ago. This lesson was best summarized in a quote by Adam’s high school coach Clay Lewis (he borrows this quote, not claiming it his own): “The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude.”
THX to KATE
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