Light It Up

More than any other time of year, the Christmas holiday is all about tradition for many.  Families get together, have customs for opening gifts, worshipping, and enjoying meals.

For many runners, there are traditions revolving around the sport we love as well.  For the runners in my club, that means the Sunday before Christmas we go on an easy run through some of the neighborhoods with lots of lighting displays.  Appropriately enough, we call it the Holiday lights run.

It seems to be timed perfectly for a time when many of us are stressed out, trying to get everything ready for Christmas.  The gifts, the meals, the decorating all seem to require more time than the days hold.

So it's nice to put it all aside for a few hours to just enjoy a run with friends, and some laughs afterward.  We run at a friendly, conversational pace, easy enough so that everyone can stay together. 

Many of the laughs are provided by the other tradition, the 'ugly sweater' contest.  This is hardly an original concept.  But its a fun one for sure.  It seems like most everyone has an old, out of style sweater in their drawer that they can't seem to part with.

For me, it's not a traditional Christmas sweater.  But I do have an old Bears/Ditka style sweater that, given the team's ugly loss that day, qualifies as an ugly sweater!

I found myself rushing with last minute Christmas errands all weekend.  It seemed I'd never manage to finish it all before Santa's traditional visit to the house.  So carving a few hours out of the precious weekend seemed like a sacrifice I could barely afford.

 

 

But I did it.  I managed to get a few easy miles in, to justify the bowl of chili afterward.  And, of course, the errands eventually got done.  That's what running is all about for me in the first place.  It's an escape from the stresses of life.  And getting a chance to run through some of the beautifully decorated neighborhoods of my town with friends really brought the holiday spirit back to mind.

It's a tradition I hope to keep for many years to come.  I hope you all enjoy your holiday traditions.

See you on the roads...........

Fast Girl Indeed

When I met her, she was wearing a black sequined bra, and stiletto heels.  She had just won a 50 yard dash down the front lobby of the Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas.  It was a publicity stunt for the Rock-n-Roll half marathon taking place in Vegas the next day.  The P.R. person for the race introduced us.  She seemed friendly, but a little distracted.  After reading her book, 'Fast Girl', I now know why.

I have been aware of Suzy Favor since she was a high school runner in Wisconsin.  I saw her run in college at the Drake Relays, my alma mater, where she is in the Hall of Fame.  I've been a fan who has followed her through three Olympic teams.  She was not only an incredibly gifted middle distance runner, but she also happened to be stunning.  That opinion is shared by most every one of my male runner friends.

In fact, I know how some married couples have a joke about which celebrity they would get a 'free pass' to cheat with if they ever got the opportunity.  Usually it's rock star or actor/actress.  My choice would have been Suzy Favor.

So I was pretty shocked when I learned she had been living a secret life as a prostitute in Las Vegas for a couple years.  She used her competitive instincts from her days as an athlete to become a top ranked call-girl in Vegas known as 'Kelly'.  She earned $600 an hour.

And the reason she seemed distracted when I met her is because, according to her book, she had met with her first 'professional customer' a little more than an hour earlier!  She had gone from his hotel room, straight to the race.  If I'd only known!

It turns out the half marathon officials flew her to Vegas to help promote the race, but while she was there she decided to make a little extra money.  She had been to Vegas a couple other times in the previous months, starting with a trip to celebrate her wedding anniversary.  That visit included an illicit meeting with her husband and a prostitute.  It eventually led her to want to go into the 'business' herself.  She quickly developed a group of wealthy men who were her regulars.

Her secret was eventually leaked by a disgruntled client to a tabloid reporter.  The news spread quickly.  Pictures of her were everywhere.  Some were of her running career, and others showed her in more suggestive clothes and poses.

Since her secret got out, she has gotten tons of counseling and therapy. She has moved back to Wisconsin, and amazingly, has stayed married to her husband.  They also have a daughter.  She apparently wrote the book to shed more light on bipolar disorder, which she suffers from.

Her brother also suffered from it.  Several years ago, he committed suicide and his death had a significant impact on Suzy.

I was struck by the fact that she doesn't really write much about her running career in the book.  There is much more about her 'second career'.  I guess that's what the majority of her fans want to hear about.

As for me, I prefer to think of her as the track star I remember from high school and college.  While it makes for an interesting story, it also just seems very sad for her, her family, and her fans.  I wish her the best as she continues to deal with her illness.

See you on the roads.......