But more than any race, I thoroughly enjoyed my weekly long runs. I get to be outdoors (my favorite place to be); I get to breath lungs full of fresh air; I get to observe subtle changes in seasons all year long; I get "ME" time to think deeply about things bringing stress and find a way to let go; I get to become fitter and faster over time; Every mile is worth my while; Every run adds life to my days!!!
I used to run with a local non-profit group on and off from January 2014. But last year, I realized that each of their events centered around alcohol. Any event to raise money involved beer. Most of their runs started and ended at a brewery. Their potlucks and dinner invites never had any vegan options for me to eat. Although I'm still contributing towards their cause, I no longer run with them.
I found a new running group last fall that felt like home. The people, their running pace, their willingness to be flexible in terms of timing, location and distance of our runs, the camaraderie during races - it fit my needs from the Day 1.
I have a routine now for my weekly long runs. And a great group to run with. I look forward to my Saturday AM runs all week long. Being in Folsom, we are blessed with miles of trails - road as well as dirt, and spectacular running weather all year around.
For my first run of 2019, I ran on a route that I've never run before. We started at our usual starting point - Old Town Folsom. There is a covered parking garage with a bathroom here that works well for us. Instead of running along the American River Parkway towards Nimbus Fish Hatchery, we ran east towards Folsom Lake Beals Point. We were treated to a spectacular sunrise here, and we took a short break to soak it all in. It was uphill all the way, and with a 2 week break from running, I was feeling it in my legs and lungs. The way back was downhill and a ton of fun. I was happy we could run 8+ miles, given that I had tight constraints around my return time. Daughter had a basketball game at 9am, and I didn't want to miss a minute of it.
Here are some pictures from Saturday.....
