Lake Draper Long Run

AM: 88 mins.
12 miles
PM: 60 mins. tennis

So, sometime last night while Jordan and I were enjoying Pinot on the Patio at Benvenuti's with Coleman and Kristi (or maybe it was later at Blu...who can remember really), I might have mentioned (read: begged) to Kristi that I would love some company for a girl-paced long run on Sunday. Much to my surprise and delight, she needed little convincing, provided we could find some soft surfaces for the outing and that we didn't start too early in the morning. Since Jordan and I were hoping to get out to the dirt roads around Draper anyway, this was a perfect plan.

Fast forward to 10am Sunday, when our group rendezvoused at the lake plus one member (Scotty, obviously). Even Coleman, who's been battling injury since Jesus was a small boy, was up for a few miles. Kristi and I fell into a comfortable early pace, not caring that the boys passed us up less than a mile in, and soon were engaged in conversation. I enjoyed the company enough to almost not notice that we were running uphill the entire way out, or that the heat and humidity were rising markedly. However, by the time we popped out at a paved road crossing near six miles, it became obvious that with no water or shade neither of us were going to enjoy running the 14 miles that my schedule dictated. Since I was already over mileage for the week I was game for turning around early, so we flipped a U a few minutes later and headed back.

Now, while the run up to this point had been nothing if not pleasant, I'm not going to lie: the last 30 minutes were pretty tough. Simply put, we were hot and thirsty. At one point we stopped to "stretch" and ended up practically wading into the lake to splash water on our dirt-caked bodies. We may or may not have enjoyed a few much-needed gulps of Gatorade when we stumbled upon Scotty's water bottle a few miles from the finish; without it we would've all but resorted to Gallowalking the rest of the way in. I was supremely grateful for Kristi's company on this run and hope she'll join me for a few more jaunts this summer.

Oh, and my apple juice cravings from last summer have returned full force. I drank almost an entire half-gallon today after the run and I have never tasted a sweeter nectar.