I have enjoyed running with this group of ladies so much that I still looked forward to our Friday run, even as the mileage began ticking up to more challenging distances. Running is definitely more fun with good training partners!
Our group suffered a huge disappointment when the Bangkok race was rescheduled to February due to the severe flooding in that region this fall. Suddenly several people in the group had no pressing need to run long distances anymore. A few of us also registered for the Singapore Half Marathon at the beginning of December, so we continue training. But we still lost our girls' weekend in Bangkok that was supposed to happen this weekend. And this is my second failed trip to Bangkok so one has to wonder if it's just not meant to be.
Several of us met Friday morning for a 10-mile run, while we all realized we would have rather been in Bangkok as originally planned. We met at our usual spot, just outside the entrance to the American Club and gathered afterwards for cold drinks and stretching. We noticed a large, black BMW parked outside the club with diplomatic flags on the front. Kim mentioned that she saw the US ambassador inside the club before our run that morning and while she had invited him to join us, he politely declined due to a meeting. If anyone would invite a diplomat on our training run, it would be Kim!
As we cooled down from our run, US Ambassador David Adelman exited the building and caught sight of Kim. He approached our group and asked if we finished our 10 miles. He continued chatting with us and scored some points with the group when he mentioned he planned to run in the Turkey Trot race next weekend. He was such a down-to-earth, charming man and when he embraced our sweaty group for a photo, we were highly impressed!
The encounter was a bright spot on a morning when many of us felt down about our delayed race. And more important, it gave us a good feeling about the man who represents the US in Singapore.
Running into the Ambassador :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment