How To Long Run with Brandon and Rachel

Just one day after our first race of the year, the four of us set out on our weekly long run. Matt, Rachel, Brandon, and I somehow found the driest period during of the day and had fun. I'm not sure I've had a terrible run with any of these goofballs. Matt was reunited with his boyfriend and all was right in the world. Here's how our day went.

The Plan: Eight miles with Brandon and Rachel, seven more with Matt.

Weaving through the quiet neighborhoods of Cutten, we took our pace slow and enjoyed the scenery. I haven't run much here at all and if all the rain kept me off the trails, exploring somewhere new was an acceptable substitute.

During an especially beautiful loop through a neighborhood, we watched deer frolic through open fields and marveled at the panoramic views between houses. Tour guide Brandon showed us all the sights in the sprawling metropolis of Cutten. Of course we oohed and aahed as the miles ticked by.

After a while, all of us were feeling good at the gentle pace. All of us except Brandon, that is. Captain Speedy Pants was bored with our pace and decided he needed to stop and complete several sets of pushups. Meanwhile, we ran ahead without him.

We zipped around a corner, tucked behind a big tall shrubbery and waited for the perfect moment. I pulled out the camera and waited. Meanwhile, Brandon was speeding up to catch us. We were nowhere to be found....until we jumped out of the bushes as he ran by, giving him the biggest scare of his life. Gotta do this now while he's young. Once he's older, our fun might be ruined by his first heart attack.

Brandon, who has recently relocated to Petaluma, mentioned he misses running through the redwoods. There's a small city park with a very flat paved trail and he said he wanted to go there, even though his mileage was already a bit past the plan for the day.

We obliged and while he wass doing one more set of pushups, we dashed off further into the park, extending his run a bit more. Haha. Concerned about her hip, Rachel added the condition that she'll only go downhill if we walk the uphill. Fine by me.

"How far have we gone?"-Brandon.

"Ten and a half."-Rachel.

"We should go to eleven then,"-Brandon.

...ten minutes later.....

"How far have we gone now?"-Brandon.

"Eleven and a half."-Matt.

"Oh we should go to twelve then."- Brandon.

I tried to sneak more miles into their day, but they caught onto my game too quickly.  Matt and I dropped them off at the car and finished the run after three additional miles.

My favorite house of the day.

------

Even though we didn't have the trail run we planned, this was perfect. Road running with the same leisurely pace and silly antics was just what I needed. Matt and I got in the car and the skies promptly reopened. Perfect timing.

15 miles, 2:22:25, 9:28/mi. 574 ft. gain.

In a sport where we often take ourselves too seriously, it's even more important to have playful days like this. Running isn't always about paces and mileage, it's about that freeing feeling running brings us. Please move back Brandon, we miss you!