Dear Editor,
My running partner and very good friend, Kimberly Fremmerlid and I have been running together for over 16 years with the last 10 years of those being in Maple Ridge.
We are not fair-weather runners – besides during the obvious many months of rain you will also find us pounding the pavements of Maple Ridge despite torrential rain, sleet, heat and snow.
No, it is not that we possess super-human motivational powers. On those cold dark mornings, if we are honest, what really gets us up and out the door is the knowledge that the other one is waiting! I suppose you call it accountability or maybe if we are brutally honest, pride… not wanting to be the first to wimp out.
It usually takes just a couple of kilometres into our run before the recent memory of that warm bed begins to fade and we start to see familiar commuters, dog-walkers, cyclists and other runners and walkers.
Many remain nameless despite always succeeding in generating a smile from us as we wave a good morning greeting from the other side of the street. To those thoughtful motorists who patiently wait for us to cross at the designated crossings, we hope you see our thankful smiles or wave of acknowledgement.
During the dark winter months despite wearing High Viz gear we know it is not always easy to see us – thank you for being extra cautious.
To the many friendly, thoughtful and encouraging residents of Maple Ridge that we have met over the years while on our runs, we want to say thank you. Your smiles, waves, and cheerleader “keep it up, girls!” comments certainly contribute to making our runs so rewarding and worth getting out of bed for.
So yes, we see you, and if we don’t, please do wave and say hi.
Janine Willemsen, Maple Ridge
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