The Fan Club (in my mind)

This morning while I was out for my run, my friend Maureen drove by and gave me a wave. I love when I see folks I know while I’m out running around town. I have several different regular routes that I run, so on any given day I see the same people around. For those who give me a wave, I’ve come to affectionately think of them as my fan club.

Now, of course, there is my actual fan club at home, my husband and my kids who always cheer me on and often attend the races I run to meet me at the finish line. There are family and friends who have come to my races to cheer me on or who have met up with me on a race location just to hang out. (I love that!) There’s my weight watchers group who clap for me each time I report back to them that I’ve finished another race and the Losing with Lucy ww forum I visit on Facebook who cheer me on. There are my extended family and friends who send me all kinds of support, good vibes and cheers when I post my results to Facebook. But then there are the people who are there on my daily runs giving me a cheerful wave or a beep of their car horns. The list grows larger all the time, and I don’t always even know who everyone is, but I am so grateful for their small gestures, as they help so much to give me a smile as I run each mile.

My favorite fan club members enjoying lunch with me after my race in Olympia, WA.

In no particular order (and certainly not an exhaustive list), I wish to call out and thank the farmer at the tree farm I run by, Jack the fire chief in my district, my neighbors Ashley and Jamie and Carolyn and Shirley and Karen and Dave and Julie and Mike, my co-worker Kristen who beeps from her cute little red car (and other colleagues who occasionally spy me), Charlie at the funeral home who yells for me to “pick up the pace," Carl and Bobby and Mark and Ed from  the public works department, Tommy and Julie who I ran in to a couple of weeks ago, Fr. Melnick, Mrs. Mongillo and Ms. Surapine and some of the parents from my daughter’s school, Mrs. Hoginski who yelled to me one day, Mr. Art Potter who drives a huge dump truck sometimes, my brother, my mom who likes to yell “run, Forrest, run,” the firefighters from the Hazardville Department, my running buddy Scott, my pal Pat, Rachel who recognized me from my blog at a recent 5k, families from my girls’ gymnastics school, the Yarums, the ladies who walk their dogs in my neighborhood, Penny the farmer around the corner from my house, Mrs. Kosa, the Magic Carpet bus driver(s), and all the random drivers who give me a wave when I wave to them for giving me a wide berth on the side of the road as they pass by. 

Additionally, I also thank all the folks who read this blog. I consider you fans to some degree as well. I most especially love to look at the "stats" page of Blogger which tells me where you are viewing me. Here's a virtual high five to the readers in the UK, Spain, France, Ukraine, Australia, Ireland and sometimes Russia and Asia. It is fun to realize that the world really is a little place. I'd love to hear of your running adventures, too. Feel free to comment & share or tell me your blog address so I can become a member of your fan club. 

So thank you to all my fans, near and far, friends and strangers alike. You are tremendously appreciated! Your kindnesses help put a little extra lift in my step when I’m out hitting the pavement.