The power of a partner

On Sunday, April 30, 2017, my daughter and I participated in the Butterfly Run in Peterborough with my best friend Julie and her daughter Evelyn. It was a destination race for my daughter and I, as our beloved friends moved to Peterborough last year. We have felt the distance since they moved seeing as we could no longer make last minute plans, stop in to each other’s houses for a weeknight dinner, go out for a movie or go shopping for a few hours on a Saturday. So when a race cropped up in her neck of the woods, it was the perfect opportunity to get together.

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Julie has been watching my running journey closely as she has been reading my blog posts. Although an avid walker and exerciser in general, she wouldn’t call herself a runner. But on her bucket list, was to run a 5K race. I knew that she would knock the run out of the ball-park, it was just a matter of convincing her of this. 

The questions came in quick flurries and dramatic statements in the week leading up to the race as her nervousness mounted with concerns like: What should I wear? If it’s raining, I’m not going in it. Have you registered? I’m not registering until you register because I’m not doing it alone. And on and on…

I was thrilled to see that her daughter agreed to run in the 1K kids’ race, and she was determined to walk it, which was perfectly fine.

The morning of the race, we woke up to rain, grey skies and a cold day. The negotiations and convincing started all over again on all sides as we discussed the weather and our options. It was a tough sell for all of us to get out of our pajamas and the comforts of coffee and dog snuggling, and kick it into gear and head out the door for a race. But everything changed when Julie’s husband, Greg, woke up and entered into the conversation to exemplify what I have now termed, “the Power of a Partner.” He reminded Julie that she can do it, that she paid to run in it and was supporting a great cause and that she’d be happy once she did it. After checking the weather, he then convinced us all that the rain would die down. So we got into our gear and into his car, and he escorted us all to the start line.

The race was a success. Evelyn ran the whole 1K and was a Top 3 finisher for girls and her parents cheered her on as she crossed the finish line. Julie ran the 5K like a pro and she only stopped once to tie up her shoe. She finished the race and said she could have kept running. Seeing the pride on Greg and Evelyn’s faces as Julie crossed the finish line was a moment I will never forget.