Last week I had the opportunity to run and support a very good friend of mine while he ran his Virtual Boston Marathon.
To be honest, when he reached out to me and asked me if I’d join him for part or all of his run, I was overly excited and immediately replied of course.
However, I neglected to ask him if he was racing and or running this for fun. When he said he’d like his finish time to be around 4 hours I knew running a 9 minute pace would be a stretch for me for 26.2 miles. However, I was pretty sure I would be able to hang with him for at least 13.2 miles.
When I arrived, Paul had just finished the 8 mile out and back paved path right on pace. I joined him for the next section which was 5.2 miles on a trail. Due to the rain, it was slightly muddy in some spots and slippery. Thankfully Paul had all ready decided at the beginning of the run to just have fun and enjoy the day. I was relieved because I didn’t want to be the one to slow him down.
After this 5.2 segment on the trail, we ventured back to the 8 mile out and back paved path. Definitely a nice mix. I now understand why Paul makes a good pacer because he never stops talking?.. We finished this section which made 21 miles for Paul and 13.2 miles for me. Doesn’t he look STRONG?? !
I took a break while his buddy Mike ran the last 5.2 miles back on the trail. Michelle and I were able to catch up with them on the back half and run the last couple miles with him to his Finish Line.
He did great and as you can see, didn’t look that tired.
It was a real pleasure running with him and a blast meeting a few of his friends! A big shout out to my husband who took lots of the photos and is my biggest fan❤️!
I also felt great the entire way and completed almost 16 miles. To be honest, I seem to be stuck at mile 16. I ran 16ish miles again a week later and truthfully, I thought about extending my run to 18 miles since I felt so good.
But than I thought…Why? I also thought, maybe I should give an in person fall marathon some serious thought ?? But where??♀️?
Ok…this turned into a long recap for a race that wasn’t really a race but it was so much fun. Hoping I didn’t bore you and you enjoyed living vicariously through not my Virtual Boston Marathon?.
Are you racing an in person race this fall? If so……where. Curious.
Leave a Reply