Mile 11

Matt had stopped to pick up some salt packets from a medical-aid station and his running group was now out of sight.

Savannah liked to run on her own. A few days before the marathon, she spoke to Matt about running together.

Savannah said, “I love running with you, but I love running with other people too. I love running alone too. I think for you to really love running, you have to learn to love running for yourself and with yourself.  I do hope you will eventually learn to have a balance of running with others and running on your own. I know TNT is all about group runs, but running should be a healthy balance of both”.

Savannah added, “I really hope you're not just running to run with me”.

A Dire Straits classic came up on Matt’s play list around the 11 mile marker:
“Somewhere your fingerprints remain concrete
And it's your face I'm looking for on every street”.

Matt felt a bit lost running alone and missed Savannah’s shadow.

Excerpt from work in progress fiction "Agony in Ecstasy: A First Time Marathoner's Story, Mile 11, i.e. Chapter 11