Track for two

Running for me is pretty much a solitary pursuit, as I run alone 99% of the time (my boyfriend has been known to join me, but it's not "exercise" for him unless he's lapping me). So when I ran into a friend at the gym who I hadn't talked to in a while, I was really happy to see him, but hesitant when he said he would run with me - I was afraid I'd be way too slow, as I was planning an easy-paced 6-miler (yes, I have to count in miles at this gym, because the track is a really odd distance and if you count in km it actually cheats you out of the distance after a while; for example 6 miles is 69 laps, but 10km is allegedly 70 laps - it doesn't add up. Okay, end of digression.) Also, I wasn't sure I was up to the multitasking prowess of running and conversing at the same time.

Of course, as I'm sure all of you with running buddies know, my fears were totally unfounded. Okay, so I got a little out of breath with all the talking, but that's mostly because once I start talking, I have a really hard time shutting up to take a breath regardless of running! At any rate, it was worth the tradeoff of having a good conversation. And luckily for me, my friend was a little "out of shape" (he claims) and was happy to run at my pace. Actually, I think I've conveyed to him some of the wisdom of the "long slow run" - he was so impressed at how far we went!

Altogether, it was thouroughly enjoyable, and we've sworn to try and do it again, if not every Saturday, at least more often than not. Yay for company!