Running Circles

Last night, Lyndsay and I drove out to the track. She actually drove me, which was not as relaxing as you might think, unless you too have a new teen driver that is behind the wheel of your only means of transportation, in the dark, on the freeway. Lyndsay is being trained by a running coach at her school and has a strict training regimen that includes me going with her to the track most nights of the week. At first, this was slightly irritating to me--one more commitment, and all--but now, it forces me to get my own workout too.

We don't run together. She does her thing, I do mine, and we each keep track of each other, protectively. It's dark when we run, but there are lights on the adjacent school that illuminate the track.

It was cold last night, and windy. Really windy. (I hate windy.) Once we were parked (whew!) and safely out of the car (remember, she drove) we went our separate ways and began our laps. I was so cold, even through my jacket, I'll admit that I thought, "Forget this, I'll wait in the car." But then I thought of the guilt I would feel, and kept on walking. I turned up the music on my iPod and got lost in my thoughts. The sky was dark overhead and the stars were bright.

Every two of my laps, Lyndsay would pass me, and as she ran by, she'd reach out and tap me on the shoulder. The third time that I felt the tap, she passed me on my right, and as she veered back in front of me, I noticed that there was an extremely hunky guy passing on my left, who seemed to be running in time with my daughter. Surely, this was no coincidence. I watched them running ahead of me, perfectly in step with each other, her long hair flying behind her, back and forth in the wind. They were indeed running together.

My daughter picked up some guy at the track! I thought. And I smiled. Big. Because look at her! (And look at him! My goodness!)

They stayed together for the rest of her run, and I picked them out in the darkness several times from my vantage point. I was so happy for her. Not because this was some relationship or something, but because she is at such an exciting time in her life, with the whole world in her grasp, and I just knew her heart was fluttering. She just looked so beautiful to me, so grown up. Almost a full-fledged woman, soon to leave my nest, and look at her go!

When we finished our laps, she walked back to me, alone.

"Who was that hunky guy?" I asked?

"I don't know," she said, barely able to keep her grin to manageable levels. "I was running, and he came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he could run with me. What was I supposed to say?" She hardly seemed put out, though.

"How old was he?"

"In college." Again, with the smug smile. "He asked how long I'd been coming here because he said he surely would have noticed me before."

"Good line," I agreed. "Yeah, he was something."

"He wants to know when I'll be back, so we could run together again."

Oh my.

I have a feeling I'm about to train for a marathon.