March 29, 2016 – I went out for some exercise this morning.  I have a 5k training program on my IPhone.  It is a combination of walking and jogging until you are jogging the full  5k after about ten weeks.  I was a serious runner between 1979-1989 and I continued to run for another 15 years, then sporadically.   I still haven’t lost my desire to run although there is a good chance I have lost my ability.

Running reminds me of all the times Kat would accompany me to one of my races.  She was with me for almost every race I ran in Monmouth County between 1979-1989.  She would be waiting for me at the finish line.  I could hear her shouting and clapping from about a hundred yards before the finish line, urging me on.   That was so typical of her.  She was a cheerleader for everyone she loved and the people they loved.  That is such a joyous memory,  yet it brings tears to my eyes.

I have a picture of me crossing the finish line in the 1980 Jersey Shore marathon. It was a cold, blustery, windy day.  Only about half of the registered runners actually ran.  You can see Kat standing on the steps of what I believe is the Howard Johnson restaurant in Asbury Park, cheering me on after 4 ½ hours.  She wasn’t outside the entire 4 ½ hours but she was there for me at the end, as she always was, as she would be for everyone she loved.  One of a kind.