We started out with the 14-15 minute pace group, the honey badgers. I love them to pieces. Of course I do what my body tells me and we started to fall behind them about a mile into the route. We ran the house creek trail from Fleet Feet on wade avenue. I tend to get in my head when it comes to races and training runs. I tend to stress over the distances and the hills. I knew from experience that this run was hilly. Last year another partner in crime and I took the same trail from Crabtree. When there's a sign that steep slope ahead you better believe that the sign is not just there for show. It's the REEL deal. That sign is on the trail a few times. Sharon hadn't been on the trail before so she kept saying "Jo where are we". :-)
That's what I do like about all these groups I've done. They expose you to trails and greenways and parts of wake & Durham county that I probably wouldn't have never seen. It's truly a sign that I've been around the running community for awhile because I kept running into fellow runners I know. Sharon said "dang Jo who don't you know" lol. There was one lady who yelled out "Johanna. I see you everywhere" I recognized that chick but I can't tell you her name to save my life. She was in Fit-Tastic that I do remember. We even ran into some TIFL mentors who were out doing their long run, 12 miles. Bless their hearts. I was so excited when we got to the crossed the street and you could see Mickey D's because I knew we were at CRABTREE baby, close to the turnaround. Sharon said "Jo I know where we are now" I told her we had been on this part of the greenway with Galloway by coming from the opposite side down from new balance. As we continues on the greenway, past Mickey D's we run into Meri Meri & the honey badgers. I told them "we must be going the right way since we found them". Sharon and I check our farming and we are close to 4 miles. We decide once we hit 4 miles, we are turning around.
Once we turn around, I tell Sharon we have to make a pit stop at Mickey D's because I have to GO GO :-)
After our pit stop, we head back. We are walking through the drive thru and Mickey D's employee who's out taking orders in the drive thru tell us "I need to join y'all" we tell her to come on but she is at work lol. We are back on house creek trail, slow and steady back to wade avenue. I'm beyond toast at this point. Just dragging through. Sharon says "Jo how we are going to celebrate when we get done" I replay "pancakes" she talks about what will go with them. She tells me to use that as my motivation to get through. I keep thinking about hot pancakes, bacon, eggs and hash brown. After 3 and half hours out on the greenway, we make it back to the parking lot. I tells Sharon "why is my car parked so far away". The very first thing I do when I get to my car is I strip out of my shoes and socks and put on my slides and pop the water bottle that I brought with me because I am way past dehydrated at this point. 8 miles is done and I'm sore and tired all over. Like Sharon said "Jo you're going to be so glad you did it" deep down I really am.
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