I met Ann long before we would take our first run together. Although neither one of us remembered it at first. We would sit next to each other week after week in an overheated YMCA watching our kids attempt to swim the length of the pool. I don’t know what we talked about, probably our kids, but I can recall two things from sitting next to Ann during those weekly swim lessons. One, she was passionate about science. Two, she was a bit crazy.

Years later, our kids now proficient swimmers, we reconnected, through our mutual love of running.

I think most runners, when meeting a fellow runner, sense an immediate kinship. There is a connection. Ann and I felt this connection. Runners understand the desire, no the need, to do things most normal people would not consider doing. Waking up at ungodly hours to run in a race that you PAID to run in. Throwing on layers of clothing in 10 degree weather so you can be the first to run on a snow laden trail. Keeping a spare set of sneakers in your car “just in case” an opportunity for a run arises. Getting seriously excited over a newly discovered trail. We are an odd group for sure.

I am normally a solo runner so the morning before our first run I was filled with jitters that reminded me more of a first date than a relaxing five mile run. What if I was too slow. What if we had nothing to talk about. What if, gasp, I had to walk!!! None of these “what ifs” came to fruition. Instead, Thursdays with Ann began.

Over the past few years we have logged many miles together. We don’t always run on Thursdays. Sometimes I’ll receive a two word text on a Sunday night, Run Tomorrow? Sometimes months will pass before our schedules allow us to grab a morning together. But one thing I never worry about anymore, we will always have plenty to talk about.

Our runs usually begin with nonstop chatter. Both of us talking. Conversation flowing from one topic to the next. If anyone overheard us I’m sure there would be some concern over our mental health status. Some days (most) there  is lots of laughter, but others there are tears. The same kinship that connected us as runners at some point overlapped into our everyday lives. We rarely speak on the phone. Our conversations on the trails are enough for our friendship to have planted roots and sprouted into something beautiful. By the end of our run we grow silent. The sound of our footsteps and our breathing lulling us into an almost meditative pace. Depending on the day one of us may run ahead, but more usually we finish together.

There are a lot of things I could tell you about Ann but two still stand out. One, she is passionate about science. Two, she is a bit crazy. And I love this crazy, science loving woman and am forever grateful for her friendship.

A friend is not a coincidence in our life. They were a stranger meant to come into our life to bring us priceless lessons and funny memories.