Running Group

THE GREAT OUTDOORS: RUNNING
Running: A Q&A with Theresa Penney
By THERESA PENNEY
By THERESA PENNEY  


Editor’s note: We asked Columbia outdoor enthusiasts to share, in their own words, a favorite recreational experience. Here, Theresa Penney talks about running.
“You actually like to run?” is a question I hear a lot when people find out I’m a runner.
Surprisingly, yes, I love to run!
   

I found my niche with a group named 621 Ninja’s. We meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:30 a.m. and Saturdays anywhere from 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., depending on the season. That might sound crazy early, but the majority of the people that run with this group have families with young children. It’s the only time of the day most of us can fit it in.


I’ve been running with the group for about five years. In those five years I’ve made some unforgettable memories, including one that stands out. On Nov. 3, 2011, I got to run with Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson. Joan was in town for the weekend to be a guest speaker at the Governor’s Cup road race and of course wanted to get in a few miles on the pavement while here. One of my friends from 621 Ninja’s, Steven Johnson, was asked to put a small group together to guide Joan through Columbia. I was one of those lucky people, along with friend Amos Disasa. Steven called me up the day before we were to run and asked if it would be OK to go in late to work that Thursday morning. When he said it was to run with The Joan Benoit Samuelson, I knew I had to make it OK. Luckily my boss is a runner, too.


The plan was to do an “easy” eight miles touring Columbia that morning. I was so excited to run with Joan. I couldn’t wait to hear about her adventures and soak up her knowledge as an Olympian. The first mile was maybe about her and her accomplishments, the second mile was about ours, and the last six miles were about family, current events and just life in general. Joan is a pretty amazing woman. She has a husband, two grounded kids, and an Olympic gold medal. Family has always been a priority for her. After winning the first Olympic women’s marathon in 1984 she put off the 1988 Olympics to raise her young children, Abigail and Anders.
Listening to Joan gave me great respect for her as a wife and a mother. Balancing everything together can be tricky, and running provides a balance for it all. I’m blessed to have found a running group of moms and dads who have to raise a family, work a full-time job and still find time for running. We have a core group of about 20 people that can grow as big as 40 in the summer. It makes running fun and not a chore to stay in shape. We even try to get together outside of running. When folks are having babies, we throw a shower. When a family member passes, we go to the funeral for support. We’re also hardcore. We run in everything from torrential downpours when all you can do is laugh because it’s so ridiculous to even be out there to snow storms when all schools and state agencies are closed for the day.


I’ve definitely met some really amazing people that I will keep in my life forever, even when I’ve fallen apart and can’t run anymore. All this in the little city called Columbia.


This is the group I run with in the mornings. The picture is hard to see. The guy probably took about 500 pictures, so don't ask me why he picked this one. Of course you can see the BUTTER BUTTER!!! I'm the one right behind Butter with the pink shirt on.

Happy Anniversary!

I Remember...like it was yesterday

Our wedding day

When Ben asked me to marry him

The time I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with him

The first time we said I love you

Our first anniversary

Our first kiss

Our first real date

and last but not least...I remember seeing Ben for the first time!

Course there are many more wonderful memories we have shared over the past four years. I feel like I have known Ben my whole life. We know anything and everything about each other and can finish each others sentences. I can't wait to see what is in store of the next 70ish years. We couldn't be more happy together.

Concert

The concert started at 4:30 and didn't end until 12. It was awesome. Tim McGraw played for about 2 hours and then they re-set the stage for Kenny Chesney and he performed for another two hours. After Kenny they both came back out along with Jake Owen and Grace Potter. I can't sing or dance, but boy I danced and sang all night long!!!!

 Random picture of downtown I forgot to put in the other blog post.

 The crowd coming in before the concert.

 This guy was in charge of our section...he didn't have any problems getting us up and dancing!!!

 Faith Hill made an appearance.



Pre-Concert

Thursday night, the Riddle family headed to N.Augusta for the night. We dropped the dogs off with my parents and made our normal hour trip. We spent the night there to save us on hour the next day. I got up and went running, up and down the street near Ben's parents and then met up with Ben. He took me on some trails near the Riddles, nothing fast, but just trying to get out some energy before hitting the road.

We got the girls up and kissed them goodbye and hit the road for Nashville, TN. Since we left from N. Augusta, our trip was going to be around 7 hours. We left the house around 8:00, which would put us in Nashville, about 2:00 with the time change. Here are some pictures I took of the drive. It's really a pretty route once we got through Atlanta.

Just as we predicted, we got to our hotel right at 2:00, Nashville time. Here are some shots of the Batman Building and LP Field from our hotel room. We were in walking distance of downtown.

When we got there, Cirbey was still at work so we decided to go walk around downtown. It was super hot, but we walked down some of the busy streets in downtown Nashville. There were tons of people at the bars and at each bar there was someone singing. We just walked around and then headed back to get ready for dinner. We met up with the Cirb and we went to a place mentioned in Southern Living Magazine, Urban Grub Fish Pit, which was pretty good. It was just nice to spend time with Cirb since we never get to see her.

Saturday we tried to go for a run, but it was so hot and hilly, the run turned into a slow/short run. We came back, showered, and met up with Cirb at the local Starbucks. We then walked down to the County Music Hall of Fame. We walked all through there and saw all the different exhibits. Cirb and I had been there several years ago, but there were several things that were different. After that we headed to a Mexican place and enjoyed some tacos. After lunch Cirb drove us around Nashville. We saw Music row, Vanderbilt, Belmont, and even where Taylor Swift lives. By then it was time to head back to get ready for the concert.

This was Ben's hint to start getting ready (me putting on my boots).

 This was the parking lot before the concert and then the field. You can already see people getting to their seats.

The concert started at 4:30, we starting walking down there around 5. It was so hot and we knew it was going to be a long concert, we waited for alittle while. We missed seeing Grace Potter and Jake Owen, but neither one of us really wanted to see them. We finally found our seats and watched them set up for Tim. Stay tuned for pictures of the actual concert!!!!! :)

Walking

Running gets so old and boring, some days it is so nice just to walk. Butter and I went for a walk about 5:30 this morning. There weren't any cars, people, and it was cooler. Butter went deer, fox, and squirrel hunting. She even decided to roll on a dead turtle and then jump in the lake. Despite that is was funny watching her realize that she was not going to catch the deer, fox, or squirrel. So peaceful!!

Single Digits

Only 3 more days until the Kenny Chesney concert. I could not be MORE excited. Yesterday Kenny's new cd came out, to avoid the embarrassment I decided to wait until the afternoon to go and pick it up. I didn't want to be the only adult at Walmart at 5 am to buy a cd. I have been listening to it all day. I really like all the songs and it just makes me more excited to see him in concert.

Father's Day Weekend

This weekend we headed to North Augusta to celebrate Father's Day. Mr. Riddle, Ben, Mike, and I got up Saturday morning and did a 50 mile bike ride. The ride felt good after not riding my bike allll week. When we got back from the ride we went out to a farm to pick flowers and get some veggies from the farmer's market. The best part was getting to dress the girls in there GAMECOCK attire in Augusta, GA where most fans are Georgia fans.

The girls had a great time picking flowers...and I forgot to mention, I was also in my Carolina shirt!!! Haha!!! When we got back from the farm we played in the pool and slip-n-slide at Ben's parents. The house behind the Riddles were having a birthday party with a person dressed like Elvis. The music was SOOO loud we could hear every word loud and clear the whole evening. This is the best picture I could get without hurting myself (had to stand on the fence and hold the camera over).

Sunday, Laura and Mason come over. We open Father's Day presents and played in the yard some more. My present to Ben was the tri last weekend, so we just made him a card.

That afternoon we headed home to celebrate Father's Day and my mom's birthday. The boys grilled and my grandmother also came over. My mom surprised me with giving me her wedding bands she used to wear. They go perfect with my other rings and I just LOVE them. Bling Bling...almost takes up my whole finger!!!