The Run That Almost Wasn't (and that ended up being pretty darn awesome)

You know those loong sleepy days when the last thing you want to do that night is put on your running shoes?  Today was one of those days.  We actually had a great day at school, but by the time I got to tutoring at 4, I was about ready to put my head down on the table and pass out.  Plus, it was a cold and windy tundra outside.  The whole afternoon I was debating whether or not I was going to go for my run...I'd packed my running clothes and planned on heading out for a few miles between tutoring and dinner at my parents' house, but the more the wind picked up, the more I thought about hitting the treadmill back at my apartment before bed...or not running at all...

Believe it or not, I decided to cut the excuses, mostly because I reminded myself how much I LOVED my "Christmas Lights Run" last week. (aka running at night in my parents' suburban neighborhood and admiring christmas lights)  To keep myself from backing out, I texted one of my best friends who just got back in town for winter break and asked him to join me.  Yay for running buddies!  My wonderful friend Scott is WAY faster than I am (he finished our Turkey Trot light years ahead of me...), but as he's nursing an injury, he was up for an easy few miles with me at my pitiful pace.  (You know someone's a real friend when they're willing to slow down their pace like crazy to run with you!)

Post-Turkey Trot

A run that I'd been DREADING ended up being pretty awesome!!!  Not only did the winds back off a little (until of course we found ourselves trapped in a wind vortex towards the end of the run...), but the Christmas lights were beautiful and the conversation was better.  We ran an easy 3.5ish miles while catching up about school, work, running injuries (obv), and potential upcoming race plans...only to finish at my parents' house and find spaghetti and garlic bread waiting for us.  PERFECTION.

So far my plan to keep running outside this winter is going well!  We'll see what happens when the serious snow starts... :)  In other happy news, LAST DAY OF SCHOOL TOMORROW!!!

Would you slow down your pace to run with a friend once in awhile? Personally I'm sooo slow that the opportunity doesn't come up too often!!!  And I never really expect anyone to run as slow as me!  So it was a nice treat :)

Do you run outside in the winter?  Last winter I ran outside a total of maybe three times, so I definitely set the bar low in terms of topping that this winter!