Dear Mom and Dad: I think it all started in Rollingwood Subdivision, that peaceful country atmosphere back in Illinois where we were surrounded by woods, rivers and fields of corn and soybeans. I remember running down lonely stretches of road, smelling the crops in summer or when they were harvested in the fall. I didn't run a lot then and I never competed in high school, though there were a few miserable attempts at competition in grade school. But I think it was the experience of running on my own, for no reason, against no clocks, when I was growing up in Rollingwood that planted in me the seed that has grown into the runner I am today.

Dear Utah: Thanks for those runs when I'm able to pause with you in the mountains and say quietly, "So, this is what this planet would be like if humans didn't live here." I've been hitting the pavement a lot lately, but I live for the runs when I can be among your mountains.

Dear Doctors: I don't know many of you and I'd like to keep it that way. I suppose I could get hit by a bus tomorrow or that I might actually have some awful illness creeping up on me as I write this. But right now, today I feel better than ever. Without my health — physical and mental — the way it is, I don't think I'd feel as good as I do about my family, friends, job and myself.

Dear Self: Don't stop running.

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E-MAIL: sspeckman@desnews.com