3/12/2011
I was up at the crack of dawn milling around contemplating what time I should begin running today. I had a donut and a muffin for breakfast. Little did I know, someone had driven four hours, all the way from Phoenix, to come run with me. It was a great surprise when my phone rang. My new friend Jim was on the line and told me he was on the ninety-nine just ten minutes away from my hotel. I immediately told him to come on over. Within half an hour, Jim, me, and my mom were en route to Leupp to begin our run. He had read yesterday’s post and recognized the spot with the two dogs. We didn’t go near there. It was at a church a mile west of the intersection of Leupp road and the ninety-nine. I had no desire to get barked at again.
At the beginning of our run the wind was light and the sun was warm. We decided to have hydration waiting for us every three miles. We ran at a pace where we could have a conversation and a good workout. The road had no running shoulder but it wasn’t very busy. We decided to run facing taffic because it was easy to spot oncoming cars from a mile away. What Jim didn’t anticipate was the one car that wanted to overtake another car from the side facing our backs. The funny thing is that I had just been telling him about an incident that happened the other day. The run was a few hours with the pace picking up after each hydration break. We talked a little bit about running but mostly our conversations revolved around the beauty of nature. I’ve decided that running with a person is a great way to get to know them.
Before we knew it, we were finished with the road and the interstate was a step away. We decide to have lunch. Pizza Hut was great. A big meal always hits the spot after a long run. We chatted a bit longer and I gave Jim a couple of books to give to kids. After parting ways, I massaged my muscles a little bit because they had already tightened from sitting at lunch. It took a few minutes then I was out the door to complete a few extra miles. I must say it has really made my week to have made two new friends. Good luck in New Mexico. I know you are going to do well.
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