A Really Enjoyable Run

Some mornings you get out of bed, lace up the running shoes and your not quite sure how it’s going to go. Fortunately this morning was not one of those mornings and I could just feel it would be an enjoyable run!

I pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center that we start from when I lead runs through my neighborhood.  There were a couple of cars already there but as it was a cold morning of about 37 degrees, everyone was staying inside until the last possible moment.

I got out and started doing a little dynamic stretching and cars started filing in.  Awesome!  A large group! 

You could feel the energy as everyone left the warmth of their cars and gathered together to stretch and catch up with each other.  We did this for a few moments until we were sure everyone had arrived.  Then I gave the “Let’s Go!”

I felt really strong and into the run this morning and enjoyed listening to all the conversations going on as we got moving.  It was very social and everyone seemed really into it.  There were some jokes about the course and the hills since last time we did a little detour that took us up a very long, steep hill so we could get in our 4+ miles.  I assured everyone that the course I laid out was 4 miles and we wouldn’t use THE hill.   What’s great about my neighborhood is that while there are hills, most of them are long and gradual.  There is also almost no traffic as we might have had 5 cars pass us the whole route.  We had a lot of different paces going on but we always do front to backs so we can keep everyone in the group in view and it also helps socially as people tend to pair up with different folks each time. 

While it was cold, the air was very still so it ended up being perfect for running.  No matter which course we take, we always end up running around the lake that is the center piece to the neighborhood.  As you approach it on the downhills, you can literally feel the air getting cooler as it comes into view.  Sometimes a duck will break the silence with an outburst of quacking but not this morning.   Must have been too cold! 

When we finished the route, one of our runners, Betsy, asked me about doing a 6 mile run as she has a 10k race coming up in March.  We talked with another runner, Susan, and the idea started formulating to make this a goal for the group!  Many of our runners have really been increasing their distance on our 4-5 mile runs but we thought it would be a great challenge for everyone to run a 10k distance since we are nearing the end of our winter run program.  It was just about this time last year that I completed my first 10k and it was such an incredible feeling!   I’m really looking forward to watching everyone push past their limits and reach this awesome goal!

My wife and I are celebrating Valentines Day tomorrow and as part of this, we are going to a spa where I will partake in a 90 minute massage!  While I generally feel good, I do have some fatigue in my legs, tightness in my lower back and few other things here and there so I am really looking forward to it!

Sunday I go for a solo long run of about 9-10 miles as I build towards my first half-marathon on March 18th!    

GBI-Avondale Estates-4.16 Miles by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.