Crossroads! (8.84mi + 1.25mi warm-up)

Tonights run was very good. On the 1.25mi warm-up to catch the outbound D-Train to Woodland, I felt relaxed and ready. I opted to bring the throw away hand warmers this time as well, which definitely was the right call. Arriving at Woodland, I found it was probably the largest group of runners I've seen there to date. It's really amazing to me to see how the number of people participating in these Thursday night runs has grown over the past few months, with the onset of the marathon fast approaching. As we headed out, I remember thinking how strong I felt, and how much different it was even only from yesterday morning! It's amazing to me how different your legs can feel (slow, sluggish, etc) on one day, and how good they might feel the next... In any event, as we started out, I quickly found myself with the lead group of 5 or 6 runners. It was really nice to have people with me this time tho, and as the run wore on, they definitely pushed my pace. It ended up being a pretty hard run, for the most part all of us pulling each other, taking turns pushing the pace out front. I was definitely quite glad to see the big crossroads pub sign hanging there as we came down the last stretch of Beacon st... It was a solid effort and felt really good... especially to be done... ;-) It was definitely re-assuring to me tho, that now I think I'm ready for some good distance again, and looking forward to a nice, easier paced, long run on Sunday morning. I hung around at the bar after for a little bit, had a couple of beers and some pizza, and headed home. A good night all around.