People Like Me. They Really Like Me.

88 mins.
12 miles
Wind: 16-20mph

Today was a very exciting day for me--and probably equally so for Jordan--because I actually met up with and ran with girls! Other than running with Kristi a few weeks ago at Lake Draper, this was the first time since moving to Norman that I didn't have to spend the entire run worried about slowing down the boys. As I said, I'm sure they were just as happy about it as I was.

At any rate, thanks to Jordan's social coordinating efforts, I met up with Jenny Graef and Andrea Larabee at Sutton this morning. Jenny is a grad student at OU and Andrea is a local and both of them are pretty serious runners. Jenny was actually leading the OKC Marathon until she passed out from heat exhaustion near mile 22, and is just now getting back on the training saddle after taking some recovery time.

Jordan, Scotty and I left Main Street together and made the ~2 mile jog up to our meeting spot before parting ways for the rest of the run. The girls and I set off from the far parking lot at Sutton, then made a loop in the trails before hitting the streets. We traversed the now-familiar roads near our apartment, past campus and beside some of the local parks before heading back in the direction from which we'd come. The pace was relaxed and conversational, but by the 75-minute mark I was feeling fatigued due to the rising heat and humidity and the brisk breeze. I turned back at the corner of Jones and Robinson, as I'd told Scotty and Jordan I'd meet them back at the casa, and bid adieu to my new friends and (fingers crossed) new running partners.

The rest of the day was spent as any Sunday should be, reading the paper, drinking coffee and enjoying a homemade breakfast. We also watched the always-exciting Prefontaine Classic on TV and there may or may not have been a nap involved at some point as well. Now that we're less than a week out from the race, we need as much rest and recovery time as possible. Or at least that's how I'm justifying it.