Motivational training partners

Saturday night we had a restful evening at Rachel and Chris’; caught up on the gossip and saw some friends I haven’t seen in a long while and that had not yet met Chad. My Peace Corps buddies are still quite an international lot, either living or traveling overseas frequently. It’s always fun to catch up on the lives, loves and pursuits of these American friends who tend to view politics, the economy, and international news from a different lens. Granted we are generally a bunch of socially liberal yuppies, our fiscal politics span the map. Some of us work for the USG, others for non-governmental/non-profit organizations and even a few in the for-profit sector. This was one of those rare gatherings though when we talked very little about politics and more about personal stuff. It was fun, even for Chad who met half the party for the first time. And of course, we were among the first to leave. The other couple that left with us have two kids at home
and had to relieve the babysitter. Just a few more weeks and maybe we’ll start being among the last to leave. Yeah, right!

Sunday morning we picked Eric up for a trail run in Rock Creek Park. We ended up doing a hilly loop that had us all huffing and puffing at some point. We love trail running – the temperature is more moderate, there isn’t much wind, the scenery is always changing, the pounding on your feet is reduced, but you can feel the workout in your whole body the next day. I usually get so excited about trail runs that I dash out front; yesterday I stayed in the back for most of the run to conserve my energy. My left foot has a bunion that has been bothering me so I’m trying to take it easy and not aggravate it too much.

The best part of the day was probably when we went home and made egg, cheese and ham bagel sandwiches for breakfast. Yum! They are even better home made than from the coffee shop. And then we sat on the couch and napped for several hours before doing a 4000 yd swim. Now with the time change sunrise is about 6:30 am, but sunset is at 5:00 pm. Great in the morning, depressing at night.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, TJ ended up finishing IMFL in 12:05, a personal best for him. We were totally stoked for our friend who worked so hard all year, met with a few complications that kept him from training for several weeks during a crucial time, but who ended up coming back stronger than ever. Now that is a nice way to end the season.