How to Be a Runner. For the run of it: Vol 3. Find a friend.

Finding a running partner is unarguably both the most difficult and most rewarding thing to start and keep you motivated to run.

I'm lucky. I have Megan.

We're a perfect fit. We run at just the right pace. We talk just the right amount and about all kinds of things. We inadvertently take turns challenging each other to run harder, longer, and up steeper hills. We both run to clear our heads, exhaust our bodies, and be away from our beloved but sometimes tiring day jobs.

I love Megan so much. One thing I love about her a lot is that the further she runs, the more she loosens up. We share life together: the wonderful and the difficult. On occasion, we have to stop in the middle of a run because we're both crying over the life we're sharing. We stop and just hold each other and cry and wipe the snot on our sleeves (the only time it is acceptable for adults to do this).

In conclusion, do whatever it takes to find a running friend who is a good fit for you. And when you find one, don't ever leave them and don't let them leave you. Megan and I won't even talk about "What happens if one of us moves away?" I'm hiding in the back of her U-Haul when she moves.

If you want, I'll pray for God to bring you a Megan. Just comment and ask me.