The Three F's: Friendship, Fellowship and Family

Today, I was going to write another hilarious post about the epic struggle that occurs mentally during training and racing that can be more difficult than the physical battle an athlete goes through. It was going to be a hilarious counter argument to last week's post highlighting the irony of day-to-day training. Last week I felt great, did a long run and hated it. This week I felt terrible, did a somewhat shorter run but enjoyed it a tad bit more (although truth be told I still didn't love it).

But no, something else happened today that reminded me about the importance of this journey...

On this beautiful Southern California Tuesday morning, I had just turned around on my long strand run and was approaching the 10 mile mark right at the Strand and Manhattan Beach pier. Out of the corner of my, I can see a cyclist riding really close to me and approaching is if to ride alongside me. I think to myself "Who is this fool? Doesn't he know there's a bike lane just 10 feet to the right? This is the pedestrian walk/run path. What the heck?!?!?!"

Little did I know that this was none other than my very good friend, the uber athlete Mr. Yurko. Yurko is the epitome of the ideal athlete. He's tall and lean and has a motor that can keep going. And not only that, he like loves and and lives for this endurance stuff. I mean this guy swims in the ocean just because, runs for no reason and (as evidenced by today) bikes to work most days. He's just a beast.

But he pulls alongside and catches me off guard and keeps riding along with me for about a half mile. He asks me how the training is going, tells me he was just doing his morning commute when he saw me and even throws me some compliments that my form is looking good and that I'm looking strong. What a guy!

But even though it was short, that interaction happened at such a key point in my run. 10 miles is typically the start of the grind for me and this time it was especially grinding because I knew I was just 4 miles from home but 2 miles from the long climb up 190th. But for that half mile, the fellowship with a great friend, the laughing and joking made it seem so effortless and just so easy. It was actually enjoyable. And as he left, I gained some momentum and decided I would make that moment the message for today.

Life is a journey. At times it seems long, but mostly it's just short. Our time on this earth is limited and no one can beat Father Time. He's the undefeated, indisputable champion of life here. But life is about making memories and building bonds. Through the friendships we make, the fellowships we build and the family we have and love, this defines our life. And great set of these relationships is what really makes this journey a memorable one and one worth living!

(Photo credit: http://itisallaboutthejourney.com/tag/journey/)

(Photo credit: https://www.pinterest.com/scrappinmichele/life-is-a-journey-enjoy-the-process/)