Marathoner in need of new training ground
I have enjoyed training for the a marathon along the new stretch of Highway 45S these past few months. The people building this new road have been very kind to me as I have pounded out the miles … sometimes lots of miles, working around their equipment and trying not to be a hindrance as they have worked.
Thursday they opened the highway. This will be wonderful for the people driving but a sad day for me as I still have one more 22-mile training run before I leave for Germany. I was sincerely hoping to squeeze it in before they opened the road but it was not meant to be.
This morning, as I was running an easy 10 miles on what has become my favorite place to run, two road crew trucks pulled up beside me and told me they would be opening 45S to traffic in 35 minutes (give or take). Yikes! I needed to hurry to get out of the way.
I immediately turned myself around and hustled my substantial fanny to get off the road in time for the opening. As I approached my turnoff towards home, there were all the people with their vehicles. They were waiting so patiently(?) for me to complete my 10 miles and get off the road so they could open it.
I can’t thank enough the very gracious people who constructed this stretch of road. They were kind to me as I trained around their efforts in building this stretch of highway. They have been patient and encouraging and I’ve trudged though these many, many miles in preparation for this big race. Thank you again for allowing me to run while you’ve been working. Thank you also for the warning this morning before you opened the road. You’ve all be great.
I’ll be representing Mississippi and the United States in Germany, Sept. 27, running the Berlin Marathon. Exciting stuff.
Melinda Howard
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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