While Saturday’s easy run had gone fairly well I was still nervous about my long run.  How were my legs going to handle it?   I knew the planned progression wasn’t going to happen but I was hoping to run long-ish and easy.

An old friend was coming to town for the weekend and we had been messaging about running together.  We have tried this before but never made it work.    We always seem to miss each other.  She ran SLO the year before I did, I ran City to the Sea the year before she did.   We did run into each other at my first Super Fun Run but she was running the 10k and I was running the 5K.   She’s running Wine Country next weekend and was aiming for 8-11 miles.   I said I would be slow but hang on if that was ok with her.  Seriously, there’s a reason I don’t run in the mornings.  It’s freakin’ cold!!   Yes, I realize that high 30’s, low 40’s is a heat wave to everyone outside of California.  Again let me state that I am a big baby in the cold!  For a variety of reasons we both had rough nights and there were more messages going back and forth on Sunday morning.   🙂  But we stuck it out and met up to run.   I planned the route and figured that my habit of running in circles up hills probably wouldn’t be the best idea.  So I mapped out a very lopsided figure 8 that led us across town and back for a little over 8 miles.  If we were feeling good I had ways to add on miles.    I was stiff and had to take numerous walking breaks.  My stomach has also been an asshat since Saturday night so that slowed me down as well.  I felt so bad for slowing her down.    Other than those 2 things I felt pretty good though which was cool considering how much I had not wanted to get out of bed.   If I am thinking optimistically then it’s not all my fault that we were slower than hoped for.  I live in a small town, proven by the fact that an 8 mile route can take me across town and back.  However, within that route we had 8 traffic light stops.  8.    That said, I wouldn’t mind running that route again.

We finished our run and chatted for a bit before heading our separate ways.   It was nice running with someone.  I so very rarely do that.  It does a little more energy to talk and run at the sametime- it should count as crosstraining- ha!   Maybe we can try that the next time she is in town.   Also, I would not have run in the morning had I not been meeting her.  I am so not a morning person.  I don’t think I ever will be.  Races are my extent of early mornings.

I am still on the fence about Wine Country.  I actually felt ok after Sunday’s run.   I stretched really well and rolled a little.    It’s probably just me using it wrong but my roller has not been helping.    I have a feeling I am going to put off the decision-making as long as possible.  On a random note- my Garmin shows 2 different average paces for the same run?!

What is your favorite time to run?

How many traffic lights do you usually have to deal with?

Can you run and hold a conversation at the same time?