RUN BEN RUN!

I am dating a runner.

It started innocently enough last year when Ben mentioned he was training for a half marathon. As his feet hit the pavement, weaving his long frame around the streets of Frederick, I zipped through shortcuts to cheer him on at various intersections, snapping pictures and catching discarded layers. 13 miles seems so *short*, now.

Over the HOLIDAYS, Ben had to decide which marathon he would run this year. Virginia Beach won. No hills, good layout for spectators, the right timing for the peak of his training, no need to fly anywhere --

PERFECT.

But then Ben got talking to our friend, Frank (actually he's Mike Walter's friend, but he's our friend too) who is a marathon runner and he brought up "the wind." Yeah, it gets kind of "sea breezy" there in VA Beach. Oops. But Big Ben can handle it.

So, Ben's been faithfully training. He's been reading Jeff Galloway's book (one of them at least) on how to train for a marathon. He sneaks in runs on his lunch break, after work and on the weekends. And, he even has to run L*O*N*G*E*R than his marathon distance in order to train for it !?! Sunday was one of those L*O*N*G runs. Here he is, below, in all his pre-run glory (note he's carrying a wool hat, ipod, cell phone and - what you can't see - a credit card and cash.)

29.9 miles later I picked Ben up at Mighty Mike's in Sterling. He pulled it off. While driving him back to Springfield I said "Why didn't you just take the Fairfax County Parkway to 50?" He said "Because it is empty -- there are no grocery stores or anything for that matter along it." "A-Ha" I said. I think is amusing, but necessary, how Ben is just running along zipping into grocery stores for Gatorade and Power Bars, 8 miles later he's in the mood for a combo meal...no problem, he'll hit Wendy's. "Should I stand at the various check points at Virginia Beach with a sampling of combo meals from your favorite fast food joints?" Here's my handsome runner, below, 29 miles later. I'm so proud of him!