Running Mate & The Shack

At last I found someone who runs at my pace in the ASHA team, so I have started running with her during my Saturday long-runs! Trupti is going to run the Philadelphia half- marathon (vs. the full-marathon I have signed up for) in September and usually has Saturday long runs 1 mile less than I do. So we have worked out a solution where she runs all but the last mile with me, and then cuts across the park to the ASHA tree, while I continue running the last mile around the park from West to East to the tree.
Running with somebody makes a HUGE difference and improves one's run considerably. We can talk to each other to distract from the pain, motivate each other to run just a bit more or a bit faster, and empathize with each other about the various body aches and pains. My Saturday runs now have a time of 13 mins/mile. I can talk the entire length (nearly two hours last weekend) without losing my breath.
Weekdays are a different story as we don't live near enough to run together. So, the next book to keep me company was The Shack by William P. Young.
It was not a great read. Or I was not the right target segment. After reading A New Earth & The Secret etc, The Shack seemed too childish. There were a couple of things that I liked and will remember- to have expectancy, not expectation. Expectation sounds final - inflexible. Having an expectation from anybody usually leads to disappointment. Expectancy on the other hand is a verb and dynamic- it can go up & down, and still not fail.