Back with the Breakfast Club

This morning was my first official run back with the Breakfast Club Runners.  We met at the Route 33 boat launch.  That was great because it is nice and easy for me to get to.  The trail is relatively soft and flat so that makes for an easier long run.

My longest run in this comeback was with some of the BCR folks a couple weeks ago.  On that evening, I ran 3.5 miles.  Today's goal was to get to 4 miles and maybe even 5 miles if I felt good.  I felt great and am happy to report that I completed the 5 miles.

I was hoping there would be people running around my pace.  I figured some might be too fast and maybe others too slow, but I had people to run with through most of the run.  I went under 9 minutes per mile too which was one of my goals.

The beginning was entertaining.  I ran with Sarah who I ran the relay with last fall.  I haven't talked to her much since, so it was good to chat.  She brought her dog along to run with us.  The dog was having a blast as it ran ahead of us, stopping every now and then.

After Sarah left, I ended up running with Chris.  Having conversations just make the miles click by.  My legs weren't bothering me at all so I kept going until I hit 2.5 miles.  I figured that if I could only complete 4 miles, I'd walk the last one.

Some of the guys up ahead turned around just before me, but I was persistent at turning around when my watch read 2.5 miles.  Chris kept on going, so I ran a lot of the second half alone.  It was good though because the guys just up ahead of me set a nice pace.  I was able to keep them in my sights and run solid.  Eventually they slowed towards the end and I cruised in the final half mile or so with them.

With all the running I did this week and this being 1.5 miles longer than I have run, I was surprised that I wasn't hurting more.  My legs were a little sore, but probably even less so than a lot of my other runs lately.  The soft trail definitely helped, even at a fast pace.

I wasn't planning on going to breakfast.  I figured that I'd be too sore to do so.  Since I wasn't opted for joining the group.  It was good to socialize some more, even if I didn't eat much.

What a great workout.  I knew it would be good, but it even exceeded my expectations.  I ran faster and farther than I had hoped and had fun along the way.  If I had trained with groups when I was in Philly, I probably would've qualified for Boston by now.  I will definitely get there much sooner now provided that I stay healthy.  I will reach my goal.

Although i didn't talk to her much, it was also good to see another of my former relay partners.  Bridget moved to Texas and she's come back to run the Pocono Marathon tomorrow.  If I can get everything coordinated, I'm going to head there to watch and photograph.

We'll see how I recover from this run.  I'm still going to do some icing.  If I feel good, I might run again on Monday.  I don't want to push it too much.  I'll let my body dictate what I do.  I ran only 3 miles last week and 15 miles this week.  I don't want to go too crazy.  I would like to get a speed session in before I go out to Indy in the middle of the week.

5 miles - 44:16 (8:52 pace)