Sure, when Scott said he wouldn't be running tonight, I'll admit it, I thought, "Well, it should be an easy night". Robin had asked me how far I would run, I told her I'd like 8 miles at least, and she agreed to go - if I ran slowly. That pretty much locked it in, I thought. I was wrong.
The weather was the first thing to go awry. The forecast changed from rain overnight to rain in the evening, or possibly at the tail end of our run. I'd checked the radar at 3 today (wondering about practice), and sure enough, it was already raining/snowing north of Indy. It was only a matter of time until it reached here.
I began thinking, it wouldn't take much to change Robin's mind about going longer, and a bit of cold rain might be enough. There was also time to get a few in early (practices are shorter this week), so there was little to do for it but go ahead. There was about enough time for 3 early miles, perfect for the plan. John T. would want nothing more than 5 miles I was sure.
That part I got right. The only other runners to show tonight were Robin and John T., and he only wanted 5 miles. Robin offered no resistance, so off we went toward Hillcrest Circle.
Funny thing happened... I intentionally ran off and behind Robin's shoulder (she'd taken the early lead). I was very careful to not pass at all - the lead was all hers. It was her chance to run as she wished. Robin must have felt good, because the miles kept getting faster. Maybe it was the topic of discussion, maybe she was excited to be running with two such studs, but she ran harder and harder.
The conversation had been easy for most of the run, though John T., accustomed to running with his girlfriend at her pace, was working to keep up. With a little over half a mile to go they both got very quiet. We had dropped under 7-minute pace, though Robin didn't want to be told. This actually played into my favor, because the faster they ran, the better I felt. Rounding the final corner, heading into the finish, Robin was pretty much flat-out... or at least it sounded that way.
We finished under 40 minutes, which doesn't sound that fast until you consider we ran an 8:40 first mile. Robin spent the rest of the run making that up and more. I asked her if she still wanted more, to which she replied, "Not after I've run THAT fast!"
I assume there will be a group at Jimmy's tomorrow at 5:15. I also assume Greg will want some kind of quality work on the end. Just make sure you lace 'em up tight!
The weather was the first thing to go awry. The forecast changed from rain overnight to rain in the evening, or possibly at the tail end of our run. I'd checked the radar at 3 today (wondering about practice), and sure enough, it was already raining/snowing north of Indy. It was only a matter of time until it reached here.
I began thinking, it wouldn't take much to change Robin's mind about going longer, and a bit of cold rain might be enough. There was also time to get a few in early (practices are shorter this week), so there was little to do for it but go ahead. There was about enough time for 3 early miles, perfect for the plan. John T. would want nothing more than 5 miles I was sure.
That part I got right. The only other runners to show tonight were Robin and John T., and he only wanted 5 miles. Robin offered no resistance, so off we went toward Hillcrest Circle.
Funny thing happened... I intentionally ran off and behind Robin's shoulder (she'd taken the early lead). I was very careful to not pass at all - the lead was all hers. It was her chance to run as she wished. Robin must have felt good, because the miles kept getting faster. Maybe it was the topic of discussion, maybe she was excited to be running with two such studs, but she ran harder and harder.
The conversation had been easy for most of the run, though John T., accustomed to running with his girlfriend at her pace, was working to keep up. With a little over half a mile to go they both got very quiet. We had dropped under 7-minute pace, though Robin didn't want to be told. This actually played into my favor, because the faster they ran, the better I felt. Rounding the final corner, heading into the finish, Robin was pretty much flat-out... or at least it sounded that way.
We finished under 40 minutes, which doesn't sound that fast until you consider we ran an 8:40 first mile. Robin spent the rest of the run making that up and more. I asked her if she still wanted more, to which she replied, "Not after I've run THAT fast!"
I assume there will be a group at Jimmy's tomorrow at 5:15. I also assume Greg will want some kind of quality work on the end. Just make sure you lace 'em up tight!
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