Finding My Rhythm With My Original Running Buddy

Happy Sunday friends!

As I mentioned earlier this week, I’m making an effort to include friends in my workouts. Luckily, this morning, I was able to run with Theodora, one of my original running buddies.

Yesterday as we were texting back and forth, we realized that we both had runs planned for this morning. With a little bit of compromise on time and location, we were able to choose a time and location that would allow for us to each get in our mileage while not getting in the way of other Sunday plans.

I woke up at 7:15 which was early enough to enjoy a banana and almond butter, cup of coffee and lots of water before leaving at 8:10. A mile into her run Theodora texted me that it was sprinkling so Glide and a hat would make the run more enjoyable.

Decked out in my most comfortable, chafe-free running gear and my favorite running hat, I ran a mile down to Atlantic Avenue before hailing a taxi to the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. The taxi driver was so confused that I wanted to not only go such a short distance but also that I was already in running gear. Our conversation went something like this:

“Good morning – can you please drop me on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Near the City Hall subway stop?” – me

“Wait, you were just running. Why aren’t you running over the bridge? It’s only a mile or so?” – taxi driver

“Well it’s not only a mile and I am about to run over it but I’m meeting a friend on the other side. If I run over it then I’ll be too far into my run to run for an hour with her and we want plenty of time running together.” – me

“You runners are weird.” -taxi driver

We met each other at the City Hall subway stop at 8:30, exactly as planned. Since we didn’t plan an exact route in advance, Theodora let me lead the way through Brooklyn. We headed up and over the bridge, down the Brooklyn Promenade, through a few shady streets towards Brooklyn Bridge Park, down along the water and back through Cadman Plaza towards Carroll Gardens. Due to the 95% humidity we were both drenched in sweat after just a few miles and we made sure to stop frequently for water. Even with these stops and the unpleasant weather we were able to keep our pace right around a nine-minute mile. Even though my hamstring wasn’t happy and I was dripping sweat, the moment I walked through the door I felt like a million bucks. Not only could I check off this week’s long run but it went far better than expected and was enjoyed with a friend while we chatted and caught up.

Even though I am not marathon training, I am hoping that I can join Theodora and other friends for training runs over the next few weeks and months because right now it’s the best way to hold me accountable as I get back into a regular training schedule and find my rhythm.

Did you run long this weekend or workout with a friend?