My group run today. (September 26, 2009)

Saturday, September 26, 2009 We were scheduled to run 8 miles today but I believe we only did 7. When I got there it was dark. There was a five mile loop and a three mile loop. I started out with my buds doing 2/1 but they were too fast for me so I dropped back to my 1/1. I got to the turn for the three mile loop and stopped....do I turn or go straight? It was dark, I was alone and I panicked. I am on this road, out in the middle (almost) of a cotton field and it is dark!!! But thank goodness that did not last long. Just about the time I decided it was okay, someone came up behind me and called my name. Thank the Lord......It was Ruth Ann, one of our running buddies. She was late getting there. So she ran with me. We do pretty good together. She likes running slow and so do I. We did great. We could even do 3/1 which I thought was cool but, how did I manage that, when earlier I could not even do the 2/1??? I decided it was the pace we were doing. I finally got a groove on and I believe I could have gone on for another 7 miles. It felt so good. I tried real hard to talk myself out of going to the group run. I told myself: 1. It is raining. 2. I am tired. 3. My stomach hurts (not much) 4. Everyone misses at least one so it will be okay. 5. I will do the 8 miles later by myself (would never happen probably). But praise the LORD I went anyway. And enjoyed it a lot! I did not bring my ipod because of the rain so it was getting pretty boring by myself until Ruth Ann showed up. (I think God sent her to me). One thing I learned in meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous: Go to a meeting even when you don't want to; those are the meetings you will enjoy the most! And it appears to be true with running as well. I did NOT want to go but I knew I needed to. And this run was awesome! It is amazing how the things I have learned in AA can apply to my "everyday" life. But I suppose that is because my drinking was just a symptom. It was not my "real" problem. It was what I used to cope with my problems. And when I took the alcohol away, I had to find another coping mechanism...enter Jesus Christ! The promises we read and talk about in AA have all come true for me: "If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness, we will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the path we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. Are these extravagant promises? We think not, they will materialize for us, if we work for them." I quoted them so they may not be exactly right but you get the picture. They have all come true for me. Thank you fellow AA members and thank you Christ for loving me when I could not love myself. MAKE it a great day!