How We Met
I met Todd in July of 2004. I was living in Omaha, working for a small company specializing in software for the student loan industry. One of our customers was in Connecticut and I went out to teach them Java so they could customize our product. At the same time I was training for the Chicago Marathon and one of my students, Peter, knew I needed to run while I was in town. He invited me to a group run with the Hartford Track Club at the West Hartford Reservoir on Thursday night. Todd had run with that group for years and was there that night. I met him before the run when he drove up in his little sports car, a BMW Z3.
I had no hope of keeping up with Todd during the run. The course is a mix of paved and non-paved trails. The non-paved trails have roots and rocks sticking up, which is a twisted ankle just waiting to happen. The hills were larger than most that I had run on before. I was a flat lander in a sea of hills. The heat and humidity did not help matters. Peter tried to be supportive of my incredibly slow pace as he wondered out loud if I was going to be ready for the marathon in October. While the others did eight miles, we were lucky if we completed five. Some of it we walked. I stopped at one point to stretch out my calves. They had no experience on this sort of terrain. As we headed back, we took a narrow trail covered in soft pine needles. As we plodded along we could hear foot steps rapidly approaching. Peter pulled me to the side and said we should look out for these runners. They were serious and we shouldn't get in their way. I spotted Todd at the front of the pack.
Afterwards I stuck around visiting with everyone. One by one the people began to leave. I started to wonder what I would eat for supper and if I could find my way back to my hotel in Rocky Hill. Peter and I had left from work, each in our own cars. He lived near the reservoir, so Peter had no reason to drive across town to get me back to my hotel. Not wanting to eat alone, I invited Peter and Todd out for supper. Todd and I had been getting along well and I didn't want to say goodbye. Todd had mentioned that he lived and worked in Rocky Hill. I took a chance and asked if I could follow him back to Rocky Hill after dinner since I questioned my ability to find my way back. He agreed and a long discussion ensued about where to eat. Finally, we decided to check out a strip mall a few blocks away.
When we arrived, we spotted a Chinese restaurant and decided that would be good. There was only one small problem. When I was packing for the trip I forgot to include a t-shirt. I was only wearing running shorts and a sports bra. Tossing my modesty aside, I was willing to go inside dressed like I was. Luckily Todd let me borrow his Mount Washington Road Race t-shirt. My modesty restored, we went in and ordered. During the meal, Todd and I talked non-stop while Peter hardly said a word. We found out later that Peter was going through a divorce and the only reason he asked me to go running was because his manager suggested it. What a trooper Peter was!
I followed Todd back to Rocky Hill and to my delight instead of just passing by the Marriott he pulled in. We sat in the parking lot for a couple hours and talked. I really enjoyed it. Todd, being the ladies man that he is, did not ask me for my phone number or e-mail address when he was leaving. He thanked me for a nice evening and drove off. My head was spinning by the time I reached the room. He was incredible. I called my friend Jennifer in Omaha. She wasn't home so I left a message. I fired up my laptop and googled Todd. The only thing that came up was race results. Very fast race results. I called Jennifer again. There was still no answer. I left another message. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. Finally, around 2:30 AM Jennifer called and asked what the heck was up. My response, "Oh Jennifer, I am in trouble." Later I found out that Todd went home, fed his dog and went to sleep. I guess I made a great impression on him!
The following day I was scheduled to fly home in the afternoon. It turns out that Todd worked just a couple blocks from my hotel so on the way out of town I circled his work parking lot looking for his Z3. When I found it I put my business card on the window. By the time I arrive home, I had an e-mail from him.