runningmates

I had a realization a few weeks ago, when I was reading someone else's blog, that I have run 100% of my "official" marathon training long runs with my buddy.  Sure, many times we have additional support runners, who join us for part of our miles, but for much of our running we've been together alone.  A duo, a pair of running mates, taking the buddy system to the next level. "Do you have your EXIT BUDDY?"  I only JUST realized this week that she knew it too.  I think we deserve some KUDOs for sticking together through rain and sickness, sunshine and humidity, a healthy dose of nervousness, followed by a serving of confidence, with a side of fun.

Between us we have 6 (yes, SIX) kids, ranging from 9 years - 9 months, 3 dance classes, 1 soccer team, 1 hockey team, 6 college credits requiring homework, 3 jobs (or is that 4?) not including mommyhood, 2 pants sizes recently lost, 1 home business, 2 political views, 2 subscriptions to Runners World, 2 husbands (and frankly, that's enough), and approximately 128.1 miles of weekend running.  

(Holy Carp T, just writing that makes me want to celebrate how much we rock!  In case I forget, before this post is over - This whole process of running together & training together makes me infinitely grateful for you.  Because I know you've had moments, as have I, where we both questioned the sanity of our decision that we made 11 months ago... of course, yesterday was not one of those days!)  

Just consider the schedule juggling behind getting together every weekend for 3 months to run... and we've done that, and since we've made it this far, it seemed CRAZY to shake things up with only 4 long runs left until the race even though T had to work yesterday.  So, despite the 39 degree with rain forecast, we ran 10+ miles and then joined up with T's job for the last 2 of our 12 (she was leading the "8K training team" who, for lack of better words, are learning to run).

The 10 miles ....  was the best BEST BEST run of this marathon training cycle yet!  So fun, the conversation was easy, the run was easy, the weather even cooperated for the most part and there wasn't actual rain, the speed wasn't even a factor as I never checked our splits, and NOT ONCE did I look at my Sexy A** Garmin while thinking, "how many miles have we run?"  I glanced at it once to check that it was on & functioning properly, around mile 3.  I was having so much fun that I even confessed that I might one day (next fall, if school pauses as expected) do this again.  I KNOW- can you imagine THAT I would even say that?  But yea, I did, because seriously, I was having THAT MUCH FUN.  

All because I had my running-mate with me.