Who I run 4

The title of this post may be a tad misleading. I mean, let's be honest here, I don't run. Well, unless you count the time Ellie and I were in Rangeley and got out of the van to get a closer look at a moose on the side of the road only to have it sort of shake it's head, snort and stamp it's foot much  like a bull does before it charges you. Then I ran. Oh, yes, I did. I might have even left Ellie in the dust although, in my defense, I did yell to her to run so it's not like I totally abandoned her. Besides, we all lived to tell the tale so that's what really matters here. Am I right? Thank you.

At any rate, one of my new friends from the 4Paws organization where Tess will be getting her seizure alert dog in January sent me the link to the WhoIrun4 website and told me they thought it might be something I would be interested in for Tess. After looking over their site and then reading the many posts on their Facebook page, I knew I wanted Tess to be a part of it.

The idea is, a child with a special need or health issue gets matched with a "running buddy" who in turn dedicates their runs to that child. It is really an awesome idea. Now Tess, who has never been able to run a day in her life, goes on runs often by way of her buddy who posts to Tess thru their Facebook page and tells her how many miles, and where they ran, that day. Oftenvtimes the runner will take photos of things they saw on their run that they think their buddy will like. It's totally a win-win situation. The runners will tell you that often, when they feel like they just can't complete their run or their marathon, they will think of their buddy and all of the challenges that their buddy has to go thru everyday, and it gives them the extra motivation to continue and not give up. And the relationships that they forge are really quite heartwarming to read. Dare I say, you might even get the warm fuzzies from reading them.

Tess was matched last week with a running buddy and it has already been so fun to read to her what her buddy posts and show her pictures that her buddy took for her while out running. And I must say, Tess seems to really enjoy it as well. She gets her excited head bob and big eyes when I bring her my laptop and tell her that Cathy (her running buddy) has posted something for her. Below are some snippets taken from posts and pics Cathy has shared with Tess just this past week. (I share with permission from Cathy-because she is awesome in case I haven't mentioned that fact before.)

I mean, really, how great is this?! I love the idea that two people who were strangers just a week ago, are now buddies and cheering each other on. 

And once again it reaffirms my faith in humanity and just more proof that there are way more good people in the world than bad. 

And the warm fuzzies are especially nice when it’s your own child who gets to be a part of them.