long run: I'm tougher than i thought

Miles today: 10.4
Miles in 2010: 61.8

as Saturday tradition continues, Gregg's running guys chose to run from Peakland United Methodist on Boonsboro Road this morning. since i didn't have anyone to run with in particular, i decided to go along.

when we showed up, the pack was: Len, Jonathan, J.C., Bret, Brian, Nathan, Jeff, Matt, Dwayne, and Gary. some of these guys run everday at lunch with Gregg, and others have their own routines and just meet on the weekends.

i didn't really have a plan for where i would run, but i started out with the guys...feeling good because i actually kept up with them for the first 3/4 of a mile along Boonsboro and Trents Ferry Roads.

now, you have to understand that i kind of idolize the group that Gregg runs with.

SO...you must understand then that running any little bit with them is like winning the Super Bowl for me.

when we took off, we ran down Boonsboro Road and turned left on Trents Ferry...since the pack was kind of tight and i was worried about being slow, i took the road instead of the sidewalk on Trents Ferry (where that mural is painted) and to my surprise, stayed with the guys easily. after the sidewalk met back up with the road, i was out front, running along with Bret and Len. who knew!?

after about just 3/4 of a mile though, i decided to take a right on Williams Road and said goodbye to the guys who were heading down Trents Ferry to Holcomb Rock Road on the other side of Boonsboro.

i started planning in my head what i was going to run, knowing that the guys were running 14 and would be gone for almost two hours...so I headed up Williams past VES and down VES Road back to Rivermont. took a left on rivermont, and decided to head down to the store. i saw jen anderson near Randolph College and Ellen Sarantos on Rivermont too. at about 4 miles, (just after I turned right on Magnolia past Riverside Runners), i decided i was feeling pretty good so i headed down to the hollins mill waterfall (which was raging, but had some pretty icicles on it, too) and got on the bike path.

i ran up to the 2 mile mark (just before that, there's a steep hill which was covered in ice, so i had to walk) and then to the Greek Church...and by that point I had run about 7.5...I kind of had only planned on running 7.5-8, but realized when i got to the end of the bike path that i still had about 2.5 to go...so i was pretty tired, but figured i had to get back to the start somehow...and by this time my feet were hurting a little and i noticed my lower back getting sore...so much for all the asphalt/concrete...

i headed up langhorne and reminisced of warmer times and the Virginia Ten Miler. when i was almost back to Rivermont, i passed Nancy, Lloyd, and Deborah. ran down Peakland and passed Gregg, Bret, Brian, and Nathan, doing their last 3 or so miles. got back to the church and felt like falling over.

looked down at the Garmin 310XT on my wrist (i'm wear-testing it from the store, we sell them...) and saw 10.4 miles and said, "Woah...is that for real?"

laid down to stretch for like 25 minutes.

good run...how about long, eh? see above for map. i'm happy.