running buddy

Dylana was finally able to get me to slow down this week. All it took was her coming to Cleveland and jogging next to me during the Saturday run.

D was in town to play in a wedding on Saturday afternoon, so we were able to meet up in the morning and run our ten-miler together. She had planned a route earlier in the week that included a bunch of familiar streets in the Cleveland Heights / Shaker Lakes neighborhood. So after a delicious smoothie and Crispix breakfast, I took the Rapid to the University Circle area where our run began.

This was probably my most casual Saturday workout thus far. We had a small map of D's serpentine route, but road closings and a couple of wrong turns rendered it sort of inaccurate as things progressed. We also made a couple of quick stops, including a water/conversation break at Wayne's apartment. Because of all this, it is difficult to say exactly how far we ran or how long it took, but running with a friend really helped to pass the time and soak up the miles. As a bonus, Dylana's alertness probably saved me from being hit by an oncoming truck. Nothing like running with a buddy.

The new addition this week was a fuel belt, which Dylana had me tote so that we could hydrate during the run. It's basically a stretchy Velcro belt with a couple of stretchy pockets that hold streamlined water bottles. The whole thing was less cumbersome than I thought it would be, though it seemed to need regular adjusting on my waist and significantly altered my butt's moment of inertia. Coworkers have offered to let me borrow their belts for the remainder of training (I have a choice between black and pink). I'd really prefer to run without one, but it's probably the best way to carry water if fountains are scarce along some of my longer routes.

I'm not sure if Dylana would agree, but I thought the run was a rousing success. I never really found myself thinking about the clock and was able to just enjoy covering the miles. I want to make a good showing in the marathon, but at the same time there will be so much going on that I want to fully absorb. Saturday was good absorption practice. It was also nice to finish up week 9 with the person who got me into this whole mess (and who has also been a great encouragement throughout). It felt like a fitting way to mark the halfway point of our training (weeks, not miles). See you in nine weeks, D.