Today was my long run day. Usually I wake up early, go to the gym and get it done there. Today was different. The snow and ice are finally melting and the running surfaces aren't as messy. There was a post on Michigan Runners facebook group saying there was going to be a group run not far from where I live. I've only done one group run since high school, and was kind of nervous. Meeting new people, running outside, running at a different pace....all crossed my mind. I was able to put all that aside and make it to the meetup site.
When I got to the meetup site there wasn't anybody standing outside their car waiting. It made sense since it was a bit cold, windy and was raining a little bit. A little after 12pm, there were 5 of us standing outside. After a quick detour to the nearby gas station, we were off and running. The pace was very comfortable and relaxed. We were moving at a nice conversational pace. This is what I really liked about the group run. We were all getting miles in and able to talk to get to know each other.
Around the 4th mile mark, we split up into two groups. One group was going to get 12 miles in. That was a bit too much for me right now. I stuck with the group that wanted to get 8 miles in. My group went out about half mile/mile farther out then headed back to where we started. It was easy to find the turn around point. We had a small bridge that we agreed we wanted to run up to the top to help get some hill training in.
We made it back to the parking lot in one piece. Nobody was completely exhausted and we were still able to talk after we were done. Before calling it a day I made sure to take time to stretch. I wanted to make sure to reward my body for getting 8 miles in. I was feeling really good. A good sense of accomplishment. My second ever group run, longest run for the year, and most miles for the week for the year!
Progress is being made - one workout at a time.
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