Now, believe me, there are certain places I've journeyed to on my book/speaking tour of the past two years that have caused my to want to high-tail it back to my refuge in the Pennsylvania hills, but I won't mention those places.
From the moment we touched down at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport, however, my wife and I felt a warm feeling of hospitality, even though we noticed a perceptible drop in the air temperature.
The host hotel, overlooking the northern waters of the Mississippi River, buzzed with runners and their families. The hotel staff, and race representatives, promoted a very runner-friendly atmosphere.
At the expo, representatives of the Medtronic Twin Cities greeted us, and stirred up interest for my presentation among the crowd. The result was a large audience to hear my speech, "Advice for running in your 50s and 60s."
After the talk, it was a pleasure to sign copies of my book, "Running Shorts: A Collection of Stories and Advice for Anyone Who Has Ever Laced Up a Pair of Running Shoes," and to chat with fellow runners.
On Saturday morning, my wife and I jogged the mile or so to the start of the 5K, which was staged in front of the state capitol building. She began running in July 2012, with most of her races occurring out of our state, as we travel to the expos. For me, it was my first rehab race since my hamstring tendon tear in May. In the cool drizzle, we ran a beautiful, out and back course through Saint Paul, to a downhill finish, with the capitol dome rising in the background. I finished within my rehab target time, which I am not yet prepared to share. My wife, Crissy, ran her personal best time of 28:47. I can't express how proud I am of her effort.
After a hot shower, it was back to the expo, for my speech, "Make each day your personal best." Once again, the crowd was terrific, but one member of the crowd completely captured the spirit of the marathon for me.
Judy Ossers, from Wisconsin, attended my speech, and was extremely gracious and complimentary.
For many years, my dad traveled to as many of my races as he could. No one could be more proud of my efforts that he. Judy, a "Marathon Mom," reminded me of my dad, who passed away in 2007, at the age of 88. Judy was there to cheer on her daughter, Elizabeth, in Sunday's marathon. Her support, along with her daughter's training, enabled Elizabeth to crush her personal best marathon time by 19 minutes.
Running isn't only about us. It is about our families as well. They share our victories, and they feel our pain in defeat.
On Sunday morning, I ran 6 miles along the Mississippi River Trail. I passed riverboats, barges, and grain silos. I also passed fellow runners, each and every one of whom waved and said hello. I had a chance to watch some of the marathon, which was superbly organized, and which was held on a perfect, cool, calm fall morning, on a fast course, through the Twin Cities.
The people, the stories of family, the hospitality of the local folks, and the professionalism of all associated with the Twin Cities Marathon weekend place this high on my list of places to go and races to run.
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