Pride Goeth Before the SPRINT

keep out

Signs before the winding drive we dared to wander down. That’s not for us. It’s for everyone else. And what we found at the end.

“RUN I shout to Suzanne!” She does not need a second urging. We are well into our training and some days are just so boring that we create diversions. Or rather I do and Suzanne gamely follows along. Two classics from my other former blog, SandyBeachGirl on Blogspot, for your reading adventure.

So what do the Marathonettes do when they are hot and tired and still need to add some miles to their log?

They create an adventure.

The driveway is an off shoot of one of our favorite running spots when the heat’s on, Old Nags Head Woods Road. We try to turn down it on pre-5K day thinking it is the path to the meadow, only to be rebuffed by a not so friendly lady who happens to be driving out just as we turn in. Go, go, she waves us off. Okay, okay.

Curiosity reigns today and we wander down the curving paved lane, looking for bail out places and seeing nothing but dense undergrowth and marshy bamboo. Still we venture on. S more cautious than I.

We’ll turn back after the next bend, I assure S. We just need to see what that lady is protecting. S being a good sport, grabs a few sticks to thwart the imaginary or otherwise dogs and we keep going. The lane twists more than Colington Road. And then we hear it. The sound of a vehicle coming toward us. No!

Run, I shout to S who needs no prompting. We are sprinting at an amazing pace back up the lane. I realize we are not going to make the main road before being overtaken. Slow down, I shout, look like we’re just out for a run. We’ll look less guilty that way. We slow to a fast run, the vehicle stays behind us. By this time we are near the road, one steep hill and we’re out. We turn right knowing there is no vehicle outlet that way and keep running. The vehicle turns left. We round a bend and stop. Did you look? No, did you? No. Well, they’re gone now. Let’s go back.

We return and venture down the lane again. Finally we can see a sprawling house and the sound just beyond. The view is flat and panoramic with just enough trees to be breezy looking. The lane has yet more bends but we stop in a clearing and take pictures. Close enough for today we decide. We jog back to the road.

How’d you like that hill training, I grin at S

And then there’s this one.

more us

We were spot on with the selfies before the word was even a thing. Trend setters that’s us.

We were into about mile 15/16 of an 18 mile run. We were pretty tired and were doing some walking in our standard Jeff Galloway run/walk mode. We hear these gals start out for a morning walk somewhere behind us. We’re moving at a nice walk pace. They’re chatting and walking, typical gal stuff.

We’re at the point on our run where a few single words say it all, but actually we’ve minced even those, we’ve been quiet for awhile both thinking about tired feet and cool water.

We have to run, I whisper.

I know. They’re gaining on us.

Just til they’re out of sight.

Yeah, we can’t let them pass us.

I know.

Sheez, the things we do in the name of pride

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