A Run for Sherry Arnold

It was ridiculously cold outside yesterday. As in the high was in the 30's. I had such high hopes all week that since this was my 4-day weekend, it would be gorgeous weather and I would run every day.

Not even close.

So, I've been a wimp and hadn't gotten out there yet- until yesterday.

All around the country yesterday, runners were dedicating their runs to Sherry Arnold, a wife, mother, teacher and runner who went out for a run on the morning of January 7th and never returned. Her story has affected us all- she was just someone trying to get out and do something good for herself, (in a small town, only about a mile from her house) and became the victim of a random and senseless crime.

It was freezing cold- about 32* with a wind chill that made it feel more like 20-something. We didn't go far, but we made ourselves get out there for her.

Surprisingly, we passed 4 other runners in the neighborhood. I was shocked that so many people were out in that weather, but I like to think that they were out there for Sherry as well.

It makes me really angry that we can't even go out for a daily jog without having to worry about stuff like this happening. I've thought about it a lot lately, and I've decided to only thing I can do when I run by myself is make sure people know where I am, when I should be back, and run in the safest (and thankfully, most gorgeous) neighborhood around. I also never run in dawn/dusk/dark on my own. I'm not going to let the fear of idiot criminals take away one of the things in life that bring me so much joy.

I'm really glad Brandon went with me today. As much as I love to run on my own, having him there kept me going longer than I would have on my own (I might have gotten out of the car and then right back in if he hadn't been there).

I hope Sherry felt all of the footsteps taken in her memory today. May she rest in peace.