Running two-by-two

My friend Monica and I ran on the Backcountry trails behind our neighborhood this weekend.  I have been training for the Boulder Half Marathon this coming Sunday and the Backcountry Half Marathon of Highlands Ranch, Colorado just two weeks later.   These trails have some great views if you are willing to put in the climb to earn the scenery. 

 

I don't get to run with friends very often because life gets in the way.  We all have kids and husbands, houses to maintain, and lives to push forward.  Finding time where our schedules meet in the middle is often more burdensome than I'd like.  But when I get the opportunity to run with a friend, I always find myself enjoying the ride much more than had I done the same trek solo.  We push ourselves up the accents harder and ironically, I feel the miles less demanding.  Monica and I so appreciated the ladies' time away from kids and husbands, we concluded our run by booking a weekend in Vegas for the Vegas Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon, December 2.

A few weeks ago, while training for the Denver Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon, my friend, Katie, and I ran 10 miles together from one side of Highlands Ranch to the other.  She joked the entire run that I was trying to kill her on the hills.  Her sense of humor and constant bantering made the run so much more enjoyable.  I remember when we crossed the 10 mile mark we began to walk and I was amazed as to how quickly those miles ticked by.  I hardly heard my Garmin beep at the mile markers and it felt amazing!  I wasn't strapped so tightly to my technology and instead just enjoyed the ride with a good friend.  She had the opportunity to try new terrain and I had the chance to share some of my favorite spots around my town. 

My husband and I get the chance on occasion to run together when his parents are available to watch our kids.  I feel more connected to him and to our surroundings but we don't do it enough.  We need to make this more of a routine date.

Running is the one activity that tends to bind me to people.  I love that it is nearly free, after the cost of my $100 Pure Connects, and that even at different ability levels we can still cheer and encourage each other. 

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