Why We Like to Run Together

I ran as a teenager until life got too busy (aka meting my husband and building an academic carrier).

I restarted running with my husband in 2018 when we quit smoking. He gained a lot of weight and needed some form of exercise to get it under control. I suggested that we should try running as one can easily do it everywhere without the need for a lot of equipment –“just a pair of shoes”– at least that’s what I initially thought. Boy was I wrong. Nowadays we have a whole closet full of running shoes, clothes and other equipment that allow for rotations and adjustments to different terrains and weather conditions.

We began to run and run since then together. We started with slow short runs around the neighborhood. We steadily increased speed and distance and are nowadays capable of comfortably running street and trail half marathons and sometimes even winning a prize.

Top: KDF "Mini", Flying Pig Half, The Gobbler Half, Urban Bourbon Half

Bottom: Backside Trail Half, LBL Bridge to Bridge Half

Our regular long-distance runs combine routes around Bowmans Field, through Seneca and Cherokee Park. As we are addicted, we run also when on vacation and hence some of my most favorite running locations are out West such as the Rims of the Grand Canyon. Another favorite running memory is from one of our first trail runs in the Grant Teton NP, where I almost ran into a bear. Beach running became a thing while traveling in Florida. 

Regardless of the place, early morning runs are the best. Being out when the air is crisp and the sun is rising makes for good memories no matter where you are.

I am not an early bird and participating in races is the best way to get me out early to enjoy the sun rise. The “Louisville Lovin’ the Hills” trail run in the Jefferson Memorial Forest, “Mammoth Cave 25k”, and “Cades Cove Loop Lope” are such memorable early morning experiences.

Other great races are “The Great Buffalo Chase 5k” on the 4th of July, which was one of our first races back in 2019 and which repeated in 2024. Chasing a “Buffalo” through the distillery property, accompanied by the smell of Angels Share might could be considered as doping. Another fun race is the “IPA (Independent Pilots Association, not to mix up with Indian Pale Ale) 5K on the Runway at Bowmans Field”. One of the rare opportunities to run a ‘runway’. I had also a lot of fun running “Throo the Zoo”. It was fun to run as a pretending flamingo in the snow when a surprising ‘Kentucky Blizzard’ hit Louisville in early November of 2022. To keep us fit during the winter, we participate in Christmas/Winter themed races through the hilly Cherokee Park such as the “Reindeer Romp”.   

My most memorable race experience though, is finishing the “Land Between the Lakes, LBL Trail Marathon” as this is the first marathon I ever ran. This run was not about time – it is a trail run in which I am anyway notoriously slow especially as it tackles about 2456 feet of elevation gain – it was about finishing a marathon and finishing it with my running buddy, my husband.

As a teenager running for me was an outlet, a place where I could get away from everything and everyone. This has changed a bit. Sure, running gets me away from the daily grind, and while street running helps me to focus on everyday tasks, trail runs give me the opportunity to forget everything as my focus is only on the next stone, root, or hill (up or down). However, in contrast to my teenage years, I have discovered that running connects me with other people. In the end it is not important where and how fast you run, but with whom you run.