What a weird time to be doing races! With the COVID-19 pandemic and everything shutting down, races are not the same. When I signed up for this race a few months ago, I expected to be in Chicago at the starting line on May 23rd. I expected to be surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of other runners. I expected to run through a city full of vibrance and life. Instead, I ended up running my 10 miler in Nappanee, Indiana. As I ran past cows and horses and fields and fields of corn, I couldn't help but think of how my life and everyone else's life has changed in the last few months. When I signed up for this race, I took for granted that I would be able to run it in the city. But even though the race wasn't what I imagined, it was still such a blessing. It was a blessing that I was healthy enough to run. It was a blessing that I was able to run the 10 miles with friends (and actually 6 additional miles because they were running an even longer race that had also been cancelled). It was a blessing that I got to run outside without a mask. It was a blessing that I was able to stop thinking about all the issues and problems in this world right now, even for just a little bit.