The Captain and the Cheerleader

Time: 89:07
Distance: ~14 miles

It was a bit brisk out there this morning. Maybe it was crisp. Either way I was glad to have on my Craft thermal running tights with brushed polyester on the inside. Is there a difference between "crisp" and "brisk?" A former teammate of my used to say they were the same thing except "brisk" had a bit of wind thrown in.

I met up with Paul Mainwaring and Billy Shue this morning for a 12 mile long run cut down. The Captain and the cheerleader (Billy challenged me to guess which sport he competed in while in college, I lost) jogged over to meet me at Old Bell at 8:00 am. We weren't even the first people there despite the 22 degree temps. Impressive Charlotte!

We took the first 4 miles easy and talked about upcoming races and recent training. The middle 4 miles got the pace moving and we closed things out with an honest sub-6 minute pace effort for the final 4 miles. I didn't feel fantastic on this run because I was up late and didn't sleep too well, but I'm glad to have people to run with.

After chatting in the parking lot for a few minutes post-run, Billy and Paul ran off and I sneaked in 2 extra miles to keep warm before Meagan arrived. Our complicated effort that you can read about in her post meant that I had to hurry home and cook up some apple-cinnamon pancakes. I enjoyed all aspects of this morning's run, even the cold weather.