In a rush to Birmingham (by Robert Rayder

Running on a Moment's Notice

By Robert “the Lone Runner” Rayder

Being Spontaneous at times is a Must.

Being Spontaneous All of the time is a Crazy Person. — Ryan Hansen

It occurred to me about the time we crossed over the Alabama state line that this kind of thing could not really be considered normal.

Yet, somehow, here we were, doing it again.

Other people’s idea of what is “normal” and what is just plain insanity has never seemed to apply to our way of thinking. It may be difficult for the average

Joe to imagine how routine such things have become for us. This crazy adventure would almost certainly never be considered a possibility to most people. It seems as if running trips are sewn into the fabric of our family, something we do without giving it a second thought.

It all started innocently enough with a phone call that morning from my son, Christopher. At the time my wife, Christina, and I were enjoying a rare lazy Saturday sleep in. The phone woke me from my indulgent slumber like a shot.

“Hey Dad. What are you guys doing this weekend?” my son cheerily asked. It was an odd question considering he was at college and hundreds of miles away from us at the time. Even more interestingly, this was a morning-time call, and my son rarely gets up in the early hours of the day without some kind of good reason. I suspected something was up.

I stretched and yawned and answered him with the closest thing to the truth that I could muster. “Nothing.”

“How about we run the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham?” he asked.

I tried to process what he was saying. The WhoWhat and Where were all in place. I went to the natural next step in the conversation. “Exactly when is it?”

The answer should have shocked me, but somehow it never does.

“Tomorrow. 8AM. What do you think?”

Years of experience have guided me in the proper way to response to such a query. I’ve made far too many missteps to think that a snap answer was appropriate. The situation would need detailed analysis, nimble thinking and careful consideration. There was only one possible way to answer this question.

“Let me ask your mother.”

I rolled over to gently nudge my wife, who had her eyes closed and appeared to be asleep.

I knew better. The phone is some kind of magic