running with sherry

I ran 6.58 miles with Sherry today.  This is the bib
created by Races2Remember.

Today, along with thousands, THOUSANDS of others, I participated in the virtual run for Sherry Arnold.  Sherry was a middle-aged woman, a mom, a wife, a teacher, and a runner.  On an early morning in January, in a small, sleepy Montana town, Sherry went out for a run but she never made it back home.  It's a horrifying story and has hit home across the running community.  Sherry's body is yet to be found, but two men have confessed to killing her. Beth at Shut Up and Run is Sherry's cousin and has been keeping us all informed as information has trickled out.

It was a tough run for me and it shows.

This story just makes me want to weep.  Hell, it HAS made me weep.  It's so sad that Sherry just went out for a normal, "nothing special" run, just trying to do something for herself, and she wasn't safe. It's just not fair.  Beth organized this virtual run to honor Sherry's memory.  It's a chance for all of us to prove together that goodness and love can overcome evil.  As Beth said, "Bad, mean people can suck it."

I ended up running by myself today.  The weather was not the greatest - it was actually really frickin' cold out there - so I decided to run on the treadmill for a change. I didn't wear my bib, I wanted to be able to see it and use it as a focal point throughout the run.  I also had a runner's prayer that I pulled off another blog today and had that in my line of sight as well.  I had a monotonous podcast playing on my iPod...... no lyrics, just a steady beat...... I didn't want anything that was going to interfere with my thoughts.

The wall in my workout room.

Overall, it was a tough run for me; treadmill runs usually are.  My heart was heavy thinking about the loss that Sherry's family has experienced, and for a vibrant life cut short. From what I've read in Beth's blog, Sherry sounds like she was a pretty wonderful person.

So that's about it.  It was not an eventful run, just a very thoughtful one.  I'm proud to have been able to honor Sherry with my solo run and I loved knowing that I was doing it with tons of others across the globe. The running community truly is amazing!  So I was by myself, yet not alone. Knowing that helped get me through the run. I've added Sherry's bib to the collection of running paraphernalia on the wall in my workout room so that I can run with her again. She will continue to inspire and never be forgotten.

Rest in peace, Sherry.