Running with the guys

Garry and Deon after the run.  I'm becoming one of those annoying bloggers that takes pictures all the time.

Today I headed into the city and ran with a few friends.  I've been running with most of these people for almost a year now.  Most of the time, there ends up being two pace groups, split along gender lines.  Generally, I've ran with Jen or Heather, and there's some others that have joined us at times.  I've done parts of runs with the guys, but usually finish it off at a slower more comfortable pace with one of the gals.

Today, when we all arrived, there were four of us.  Myself, Deon, Garry and Pat (who I just met today).  There was some discussion as to whether Heather was going to come.  Eventually we concluded that no, she wasn't.  That gave me three choices: go home (not really an option), run with the guys, or run my own pace on my own.

Now, a few months ago, I wouldn't have worried enough about running with faster runners.  Back then, I was hitting milestones and seeing my speed improve my leaps and bounds.  Then after my half marathon and during the holidays, I let my run volume drop and a few pounds creep on.  I was worried about whether I could keep up.  So, here's the run broken down by kilometer.

Km 1: 6:10

Crap, crap.  Heather's not here.  Am I going to be able to do this?  Am I going to die by the side of the pathway.  Hmm, actually, this isn't so bad.  I can probably hold this pace...

Km 2: 5:51

This is fast.  FAST.  They make it look so easy.  I'm working my butt off and this is just a casual jog for the boys.

Km 3: 5:44

Heather, where are you?!  It would be much easier running a bit slower.  We're doing 7 kilometers today.  I don't know if I can handle it.  Ah, we've turned around.  Hey, this is easier when we're not running into the wind.

Km 4: 6:31 (including a stop at the car, since I didn't have my garmin set to auto-pause.)

Pat wants to drop off jackets at the car.  I can go for that.  It's around my waist anyways, and it will give me an excuse to stop for a few seconds.

Km 5: 5:49

Alright, more then halfway done.  I can handle another 3 kilometers.  This is pretty doable.

Km 6: 5:47

Forget that!  Another TWO kilometers?!  I'm dying.  Dying.

Km 7: 6:31 (Including another brief stop while we chatted with Pat, as he split off a bit early.)

Hang on.  Just hang on.  What?!  You mean we're not turning off here?  Who made this route?  Where is my map?  Garry told me I was "kicking ass".  I just used two full sentences to tell him I was barely hanging on.  Hmm...  Easier to talk then I thought.  Almost there...  Ah, there's that garmin beep.

After: Hey, that wasn't so bad.  I could have gone further.


Now, I probably will not run with the guys every week.  Sundays are supposed to be my long slow distance runs.  Even with a drop in my running volume, 7km wasn't too long for me, so I felt okay pushing the speed a bit.