Sunday, January 23, 2011

Turtle Powers....Activate!

Saturday was the debut of the 2011 season for my running group, Turtle Club. The group starts several years ago as a small club of about six runners. Yesterday there were sixteen of us, and apparently another four that just couldn't make it on that particular day.

The majority of the group started out with a 30 minute run. I stuck with my marathon friends and did six miles easy. I would have suggested a slightly longer run (7 or 8 miles) except that I had been battling illness all week and really didn't want to push it. In fact, I wasn't even sure I'd make it out at all the night before, but felt good enough to give it a go when I woke up.

The larger group usually sticks together for the first mile, then everyone breaks off at their own pace (with a few pace groups that stick together), but by the time we had hit the half mile point most of the short distance runners had dropped us like a hot potato. I suspect this is foreshadowing of things to come - I'll be spending another season at the back of the pack. No worries, it's fun back there and the company is great.

At the conclusion of our run, four of us (the two that I trained with all winter plus faster runner who is running a marathon this coming weekend) stuck around a little longer. This little group of winter warriors met for breakfast. After running with them all winter and tracking them like crazy on race day, I really enjoyed hearing tales of their marathon experience.

Biggest surprise for me was when my marathon friends presented me with a gift that they picked up for me at the expo. It's a pink Brooks PR running skort. I was not expecting that at all! It fits well, has a zippered pocket in the back, plus a pocket on the leg of the compression shorts underneath. Pardon the lousy camera phone photo, hopefully I'll be able to model it soon.

The larger group of Turtles is nice, but our small group of winter warriors is really something special.

edited to add my MED accountability for the week:

Mon: yoga
Tue: 0.5 mi walk, 2 mi hill run, yoga
Wed: yoga
Thu: yoga
Fri: 1.5 mi walk
Sat: 6 mi run, yoga
Sun: 2 mi hill walk

15 comments:

  1. How sweet of them! :0) Love the skirt!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A very nice present. I like to read "winter warriors" it looks similar to the Black Knight Army!
    To run with a group is the best way to stay motivated, to improve speed and to increase the mileage.

    ReplyDelete
  3. very nice! you'll be rock-in the pink!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like a great group. Friends and gifts - doesn't get much better than that!

    ReplyDelete
  5. how nice :) and a great group of friends to run with :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Friends to run with and motivate you and a great present! What a day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Friends, breakfast and a gift? Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is a cute running skirt!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a thoughtful and useful gift.
    I love it when people get presents that speaks to our love for running. It's saying "I accept your running hobby. I know YOU. And I want you to be a better runner."

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a good group of friends. This is a group you should work to keep together...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Don't you love n expanding running group?

    How sweet that they brought you back a gift! Looks great.

    ReplyDelete