By Sheri Duff

I love Saturdays. For one, the Duff family adheres to a reasonably strict no housecleaning policy on weekends. I also rarely work or put pen to paper on what has become a traditional day of rest for me. Finally, I don't run or cross train on Saturdays either; you can understand why it is my absolute favorite day of the week. Not that training is terrible. It's not. But it is nice to take a short vacation from routine and start everything anew on a weekly basis.

At this point our little group, down from five runners to three, has been training for nearly five weeks. Although we lost one runner to injury and one to scheduling, Danielle Frawley, Shelburne News writer extraordinaire, our nameless Shelburne resident, and I are still committed to the 5K training schedule. This week (Sunday, July 18) we increased our run to two miles. Does that mean I can run two miles continuously? Not yet. But I'm close. I'm definately getting stronger. I even feel stronger. In the beginning, I walked more than I ran. Now I run more than I walk.

One step at a time.

My running shoes are worth every penny. To date no shin splints, foot, or calf pain whatsoever. Knock on wood. There's been occasional soreness but that's to be expected. It probably helps that I'm particular about where I run. No pounding on concrete for me. Instead I run on black asphalt or trails. For now, I prefer the track at South Burlington High School (sorry locals). That track is ultra cushy, seriously it's like running on a pillow, conveniently located, and safe. An early riser, I enjoy exercise first thing in the morning. So does Shelburne Community School Athletic Director Alan Mihan. We bumped into each other at the track not once but twice in the past two weeks. If I remember correctly Mihan is training for the 100 on 100 Relay, a charity event for the American Cancer Society and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Vermont, next month as part of a six-man relay team. That's nearly 16.5 miles for each relay member. Needless to say, I'm impressed.

I only have one complaint, albeit a rather large one. It's been unbelievably hot! And it's not just that the mercury is reaching into the 90s. It's the humidity. It sapped me of my energy whenever I ran. But thanks to my partners in crime I didn't miss a workout. In fact, having training partners helps immeasurably. Currently I run with Danielle on Thursdays and our nameless local on Sundays. We not only push each other to run farther and walk less, regardless of the weather, we also encourage each other to simply show up. Not to mention how much more fun exercise is as a shared experience.

So here's to shared experiences. And did I mention that I'm already looking forward to Saturday?