The Kindness Of Strangers

This weekend I wanted to run to Hain’s Point with my friend, since she missed out on that fun when she bailed on the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Our route would be about 8 miles, which is the distance we wanted to cover, and flat, which is what my ITB/piriformis needed. To the extent that we still have predictable, seasonal weather, it was unseasonably warm and humid, so I finally got to wear the new top I bought back in March at the Rock’N’Roll Half Marathon expo.

Yes, it was that warm!

My friend uses a small hand-held water bottle, and usually stops at a water fountain mid-run to fill it up. I don’t know if it is too early in the year for the water fountains around Hain’s Point to be on, or if the one we tried was just broken, but she was out of luck. While she was trying it, I noticed a limo parked nearby (limo drivers seem to wait in the local parks for their appointments) and thought, “I bet he has some water.”

As we got closer, he was standing behind his trunk–with two water bottles in his hands!  He had seen her try the water fountain and asked, “Do you want some water?” My friend was reluctant to take it, but I quickly said “Sure!” and “Thanks!” While she was a bit creeped out, I was trusting in the kindness of a stranger–or at least a bored limo driver.

When we finished our run, I was very hot and sweaty. I had planned to take a shower at the office gym before spending some time at my office, but we were told on Friday that the locker rooms would be closed all weekend for some maintenance work, although the gym would be open. Before my run, I thought I would be OK with just changing clothes, but I felt really gross.  Since it still was early, I decided to see if there was any way that I could finagle a shower. The trainer was at the gym, but the workers weren’t. The trainer took pity on my sweatiness, and agreed that I probably had time for a quick shower. Ahhh!

After a shower, some clean clothes, and a grande bold from Starbucks, I was ready to put in a few hours of work.

Garmin Data
Total Distance: 8.01 miles Total Time: 1:13:26 (avg. pace: 9:10 min/mile)
Split Times: 9:18, 9:03, 9:09, 9:13, 9: 13, 9:01, 8:54, 9:28

Has your day been made better by the kindness of strangers?

(Did you see my PicFrame App review and giveway? Enter by Friday May 11.)