Saturday in the Park

Ian emailed yesterday and asked if I was up for a run this morning. He is moving to NYC in a few weeks, meaning my opportunities to run with him promise to become more limited, so I made it out to the Art Museum and met up with him, Steve Kollar (who I haven't seen in awhile), and Devon (late of an enigmatic Philly marathon).

I'll miss these runs. Ian's been a good friend and sometime rival, and some of my most memorable running experiences have included him. The temptation is great to eulogize him here, but I won't. I prefer not to think of it as losing a running buddy but as gaining a place to stay in NYC.

We ran a BN loop, complete with the requisite nipple jokes. This may be his last nipple. And Ian was my first. Devon forsook the BN part and veered right to Kelly Drive, and we remaining three chugged up it. Not too pretty, as I'm running gimpy, Ian is coming off a PR NYC marathon, and Kollar's running has been hampered by life. Suited all of us fine.

I love these runs through Fairmount Park in the fall flanked by a good posse. I've been fortunate to have such company and such places to run. It feels like I'll have this forever, today reminds me that maybe I won't.

But I'll enjoy it while it lasts. That's what today's run was about. Ankle cooperated, to the point where I now feel comfortable that I can take on double digit mileage. With that, the weekly mileage will come, as will the speed. Every day brings more progress.

Thus, part flush with the success of this run, part from not wanting it to end, Kollar, Ian and I talked of all signing up for Boston. Reba was talking yesterday of how ratty my '02 windbreaker is getting. Perhaps its time to again make the pilgrimage this Spring.

10+ miles in 82:41.