Running

I miss running- OK, I miss outdoor exercise of a lot of kinds at the moment.  There aren't a ton of opportunities to participate in sports here or groups that train together.  On the way to church this morning we saw an ongoing race.
Very different from any road race I've watched or participated in before.  All the ones I've seen or participated in were well marked off, lined with people cheering you on and water tables.  Also, road traffic would be halted or diverted during the race.  Not here.  The racers just ran alongside the cars, motorcycles, and taxis flying past them!
Seeing the runners really made me miss it!  I miss the Saturday long runs with friends frequently followed by long swims to cool down.  I miss being able to run in parks and on trails.  I miss the scenery.  I miss the conversations (of course we were solving all the world's problems) while on these Saturday long runs.
I miss late night springs on the track.  I miss roller blading.  I miss hiking and biking.  But, mostly I miss running!
I loved running......  Our Saturday runs were usually more jogs so that we could talk along the way.  But, sometimes they'd last 2-3 hours!  It was a time of clearing my head.  Time to de-stress.  Time to build friendships.
I miss the road trips.  I miss being a part of a team.  I miss the long bus rides singing at the top of our voices until we fell asleep.  I miss the team meals.
I wish I could find someone that lived nearby that I could run with here.  Someone that wasn't taking it too seriously.  Someone that is running just for the fun of it.  Someone that is concerned more with the process than the result.  But, mostly I wish there were places to run here.  A park, a paved road, no potholes, no dodging traffic or inhaling the gas fumes!