Saturday

Saturday morning we met the Cabot Cruisers for a group run of 8 miles. With the cooler tempatures we are able to start at 7:00am a much more civilized hour than say 5:30am!! It was also nice to be running while light outside. Even when Kim and I run in the mornings during the week we start in the dark and all of our afternoon runs are in the dark now.
We had quite a large group Saturday morning, Robert counted 22 of us, but he missed Ginny and David who although meeting up with us had chosen a different route. They are quite fast and had a different workout planned. So 24 runners started off together, I'm sure the drivers along hwy 89 were trying to figure out what was going on. Jane told us this morning that another one of our running friends who couldn't make it yesterday morning saw us when we first started out and she said it looked GREAT!!

Soon enough though the group had split up into smaller groups with Brenda, Cindy and some of the others surging ahead. Jane, and I were running together in the beginning when my phone rang, my first thought was good grief who could be calling me so early on a Saturday morning so I just igonred it and kept talking to Jane. A few seconds later it started ringing again, I thought someone must really need to talk to me so I went ahead and answered it and I am SO GLAD I did, it was Michele. I had called her the day before to see if she was running with us but she said no, they were on their way to Fayetville to watch the Cabot Panthers in the "play off's", so you can imagine my suprise and happiness when it was her and she said she was going to meet us. She told me if I got to a certain intersection before she did to wait for her. By this time I had fallen behind Jane and ran for a little while with a new lady Marlene. She has just started running again after being away from it for a while. She was a little dismayed when she found out we were planning a 6.5 mile route with an add on at the end. She said she didn't think she could do the whole things, but I'm happy to say she did!
At some point during the run before we met up with Michele Jane and I were running with Debbie B. she is just just a really nice lady. I met her during the Women Can Run Clinic last spring.
Just before we got to the spot where Michele said she would meet us I saw her running towards us. Michele helpled me get through some tough long runs this past summer and we helped each other get through the last 7 or so miles of the Chicago Marathon. She definately holds a special place in my heart!!!

The whole run we all kind of traded off running partners, although Jane and I stayed together pretty much the whole run with Arland usually close by, also Kelly's husband Robert stayed close to us as well. Poor Robert, he doesn't have his own identity yet, everytime he is introduced it is oh this is Kelly's
husband Robert, I should have a shirt made for him that say's "Kelly's husband". He is a really nice guy and doesnt' seem to mind, and since his wife Kelly is so great he should be proud to be known as her husband.

Bailey, Joan, Kim and Cheryl kind of all ran fairly close to each other. Joan was battling a cold and Cheryl was battling stomach issues. I knew that Kim and Cheryl didn't know the route so once Jane and I circled back to them and another time Michele and I circled back. Also at most of the intersections I would run back and jump up and down and yell and wave to show them which way to turn. It was funny because they never saw me but Bailey and Joan would wave back at me. LOL
Once I realized how close they were staying to Joan I knew they would be ok, and especially after we got on hwy 321, Kim has run this route before. One great thing about the run Saturday was how great I felt, I never once felt tired and we stayed at a nice steady pace the whole time. My splits don't really show it but it felt like we were running pretty fast. I think all my stops at the intersections etc. made me look slower than I was. This run definately gave me a big boost of self confidence for the Tulsa Route 66 1/2 marathon! :)

8.17 miles
1:29
10:54 avg.

1 - 10:27
2 - 10:32
3 - 11:01
4 - 11:18
5 - 11:16
6 - 10 :07
7 - 11:11
8 - 11:13
.17
These splits all look so slow to me considering how fast it felt like we were running.

After the run several of us went to "A Daily Grind" our friend's Donna & Bobby's coffee shop.
They have really great breakfast and great coffee. Kim and Cheryl decided they needed to get headed home so they decided not to come with us Starbuck's new flavor was calling their names.
So Joan, Ginny, Raquel,Vicki, Brenda, Arland and myself all headed to Daily Grind and had a great time. Arland wouldn't share his breakfast burrito so Raquel offered to share her's with me. They are really yummy!! Thank you Raquel I owe you!
It was a lot of fun, everyone was sharing stories and we got to hear some of Joan's funny NYC marathon stories.
I always get a double shot grande sugar free white chocolate with fat free milk. I had two of those yesterday morning so between the endorphins of the run and 4 shots of espresso running through my veins I was wired for sound!!! After we said our good-byes I knew when I got home I was either going to crash or I could get a lot done. The past week I have been very lazy at home so the clutter was really starting to build up. As soon as I got home I changed clothes and started at the back door and didn't stop until I had almost finished our bedroom. It felt so great to get it done!!
Kylie was going to a birthday party at the new bowling alley so I took a quick trip over there watched her and Tracy bowl for a little while and then I had to go to Kroger for a little shopping.
I felt very accomplished yesterday I had a great run, spent some fun time with my running friends, made huge progress in my housework and I got to see Kylie for a little while.
I'm just dissaponted I didn't get any pictures!