nOg Run Club: 3 Miles & a Meal

Wow!  Can't tell you how much I enjoyed this run!  Hiro and I got to Tir Na Nog on time this week and were able to leave with the main group of runners at 6pm, and it was a blast.  Running through the streets like that was so much fun.  You could see people in their cars just wondering "what the heck is going on?" and "Where did all of these runners come from?"  It looked like some thing out of a Nike commercial, especially when you consider that people were running 3,4,5, and 6 mile courses that intersected or over lapped randomly.  You would be running along in your pack and then all of the sudden a group of ten or so runners would come out of nowhere, join you for a little bit, then you would veer off and they would keep going straight.  I didn't have any issues with staying on course, but I got a bit ahead of Hiro and she said that she nearly got lost once, but was able to see where the runners ahead of her had gone. We did the same 3 mile course as last week.  I was planning on sticking with her but found myself running really well, while she was struggling with the cold air in her lungs for the first mile; she kept waving me on and there was a guy who I was trying to keep up with, so I stopped worrying about sticking with her and just ran at the pace that felt comfortable.  The guy that I was trying to keep up with was clearly in better shape than me, but I was taller and had a longer stride.  He was able to pull away from me after the 2nd mile, but I was close to catching up with him when a traffic light caught me.  He finished about a half a block ahead of me, but I felt really good about my effort.  I expected that I would have to wait a while for Hiro, but she finished at a minute behind me, which I couldn't really believe because I was running a lot stronger than I had been recently.  She is so competitive!  Also, I am really proud of her for attending because she has to be up at 3am, tomorrow, so she can be at work by 5am!  Allstar !in my book

After our run, we saw one of Hiro Co-worker and her roommates, who were about to join the late comer's run.  Hiro got a Facebook message from them late that said they had a great time and will be back next week, so maybe we will start seeing more people that we know at these runs.  After a stretch we sat down to a nice warm plat of pasta, some bread, and salad.  It wasn't the best or worst thing that I have eaten, but for a buck, who am I to say a word!?!  It was great!  The nOg Run Club is a permanent addition to my weekly agenda!