Share the roads....running with friends

If you are like me, you may be obsessed with getting in a great workout.  If it you're supposed to run 40 minutes, you go out and do just that with your GPS running, Ipod, watch and all other gear that keeps you focused.  But what if you left those things at home? Would your workout suffer?  Sometimes when I think about, I kind of freak out.  What will I do if I'm not counting exactly how far I run???? 

But there is definitely something freeing and awesome about not only forgetting all the "stuff" but running with someone else. My friend Caitlin and I have been running pretty regularly for a month now whenever we get a chance.  There's a park nearby our homes with a 1.5 mile trail so we meet there and literally the miles just melt away.  Time goes by so quickly when you aren't concentrating on the time or a particular song.  And we talk....a lot.  Now, this may cause my speed to decrease but it is well worth it.  Name the topic, we've covered it.  Stress, fears, joys, pain, stories galore.  Most of the time when you think of getting to know someone, I think of going out to dinner or a date to just look at one another and talk.  But for us, the friendship has come through the miles.  It brought us closer and closer than I am to other friends that I see every so often.  We've prayed for each other, gotten insight, and seen life through a different perspective. 

There is something magical about sharing, basically yourself with someone over a common bond.  I have not only come to enjoy it, but it brings me ease knowing that long run is coming because it will not seem that long.  There is a realness shared on the roads.  It pushes you and also allows you to de-stress.  And the coffee or treat afterwards doesn't hurt either! 

Try a new challenge this week!  Workout with a friend!