Last weekend I ran with a group of complete strangers for a nice 10 mile run.
Actually I knew one guy from a Facebook group and I met him briefly at a race back in August, so I guess technically he wasn't a total stranger, but I still didn't know if he'd chop me up into a million pieces in the middle of the woods. But seriously, these were some really nice people and good runners.
I was on the fence about running with the group since I didn't know any of them. I didn't know what kind of pace they would run. I needed to get in 10 miles and I was worried that I would try to hang and then end up crashing in the later miles. I was worried about trying to keep conversation and avoid the awkward silence that can come when running, especially with new people.
I woke up without my alarm Saturday morning and figured this was a sign that I needed to go run with the group. I quickly got dressed, ate some oatmeal, kissed the hubby bye and rushed out the door. I message the group leader and said that I was in and on my way.
It was a little chilly at 55 degrees and spitting rain. Perfect running weather in my book. As long as you kept moving it felt good. As soon was we finished I was freezing. Not knowing exactly what the run would entail I packed my Camelbak full of water and more than enough gels and chews to last me on a 10 mile run.
We met up at 8:00 am Saturday morning at a State Park. There was a group of 7 of us. 3 guys, 3 other girls plus myself and one dog. Some in the group needed to do 15 mile and other wanted to do about 10 so we chose a 5 mile loop run. The trails at the park are well marked, a little technical and mostly single track. I love running on trails. It keeps my mind busy looking ahead on the trail and focusing on where to step next. Running on the roads is mindless and tedious. It serves it purpose and I run on the road a lot but mainly to save time and for the convenience factor. The pace was easy, even on the slow side for me. But it felt good. We stopped periodically to let some of the slower runners catch back up with the group any time the trail split to make sure we stayed together as a group. After the first loop the guys wanted to drop the hammer and push the pace so they took off and I stayed with the other girls for another 5 mile loop. Around mile 8 we came to a really LONG hill. The hill wasn't very steep, it just seemed to go on forever. Probably close to a 1/2 mile. Since we were running a loop, we had already faced this hill once so we knew what we were in for. As we approached the hill the girl I was running with, said "Let's run all the way to the top. No stopping, no walking." I was in. I like a challenge. I am competitive. More so with other people than I am with myself. My legs were on fire, my chest was burning, my knees hurt but I would not quit. I'd look over and see her still pushing right beside me and I'd keep pushing too. We finally made it to the top and it felt great! We finished the last 2 miles with negative splits. The adrenaline rush you get from conquering something difficult. We ran 10 miles in 1:57. But it felt like nothing. It felt easy. I like that kind of running!
This group run brought 2 things to my attention.
1. I like running with other people. I need someone to hold me accountable. I would love to have a training partner to do track workouts and speed work with. Someone to keep me company on long runs. I need someone to push me. Keep me from quitting when it gets hard. So I am on a search for just that. I have some good leads on a CrossFit gym with a running endurance team, and another local running group. We'll see if its a good fit and how it turns out.
2. I want to run an Ultra Marathon. Next year. Most of the group that I ran with on Saturday are Ultra marathoner. 50 and 100 mile races. Crazy right? As we ran, they talked about different races they've done and they made it sound fun and doable. So I think I'm gonna skip right over the normal 26.2 and do a 50K (31 miles) next year.
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