Kindness of Strangers

As I posted in an earlier blog, I'm training for the Columbus Marathon.

Hey everyone. Rob here. Back from a few days off.

I don't want to jinx myself, but training is going better than expected. I'm surprised. Why? Because it has been so hot this summer. Figures show that last month was the hottest on record.

This month hasn't been much better.

This past Sunday I started my 11 to 12 mile run early at about 8:20.

The plan to beat the heat didn't work. It was already 82 degrees at the start of the run.

I started at my gym in Bellevue, ran across the Purple People Bridge, down Eastern Avenue to Delta and back. The run was hot, humid and hard. As I crossed back over the bridge, I read 90 degrees on the spinning Western Southern sign above Fort Washington Way. I only had about a mile left but I was struggling. That's until I saw something welcome but unexpected at the end of the bridge.

I saw Tommy and Lashawanda. They are members of the New Beginning Community Church in Newport. They were handing out ice cold water. About 1,000 of them. A lot of people were asking, "Why are you doing this?" They replied, "We thought it would be nice." And it was. I finished the rest of the run with smile on my face.