Crossroads! (8.89mi + 1.25mi)

Last week after the Crossroads run, Fred, Gordon, and myself tentatively agreed that we would all run together for the following weeks Crossroads run, and hopefully try to push the pace a little bit. So with that thought in mind, I hurriedly set out on my 1.25mi warm-up over to catch the T to the Woodland stop. My timing was spot on, and so Fred and Gordon were actually on the same train that I happened to catch. I had been a bit tentative about the whole pace pushing thing in general, as my legs were feeling pretty tired overall, and I actually had some significant cramping in my right foot on my way over to the train, which had me mildly concerned. In hindsight, I probably should have given myself a bit more time off throughout the week, esp after my 22+ miler on Sunday. So I wasn't sure if my foot was going to be an issue or not, but fortunately for me, Gordon commented on the way over that he wasn't sure what pace he was going to try keep either, so this set me at ease. Arriving at Woodland, we all started out a fairly relaxed, warm-up pace, all in a sort of an unconscious agreement. My foot cramping didn't come back again, and through the hills I was feeling pretty good. There was a bit of a headwind, but that didn't seem to hinder our progress terribly. As we made our way down Beacon st though, I could feel Gordon start to push the pace. I kept up as long as I could, but at about a mile and a half out from Crossroads, I had started to drift back slightly, and then got caught at a light at an intersection, and after that, well, the motivation to keep up started to dwindle. All in all tho, it was another really good run, and I finished about a minute behind Gordon and Fred.