Mutual run buddy support

For years I ran alone.

Cue George Thorogood.
I run alone (thumpthump, thumpthump)
Yeah with nobody else, (thumpthump, thumpthump)
And you know when I run alone,
I prefer to be by myself!

Lots of times I ran alone and thought about stuff and it was good. I've worked through novel plot points, written blogs, thought about photo projects, worked my way through some obscure SQL (that was only the once and I washed my hands after), enjoyed the scenery, and generally loved it.

Not so much lately though. I've come to love running with BRBE and today was a really good reason why. She was feeling a bit down after a tough week. I wanted to run, but wasn't sure how much or how far, or where. We sort of talked ourselves into it, provide I picked the route and navigated. This is what we ended up with. 11 K, 1:36, 8:43/K. Normally BRBE and I run rock steady about 7/K to 7:30/K, but considering the alternative was total slackerpants, we're happy with it.

I'm sure my buddy Terry knows exactly where we went, and has probably been on all those trails, but most of them were new to me. That was part of the joy of the day, running down new trails, not really caring where they went. A few times they stopped at the river, so we would go back to the last branching and keep going. All the time chatting up a storm.

It was lovely! Not too hot or cold. The pace numbers look a bit slower, but think small trails and and some pretty good hills, scrambling across the creek once, and not being in a rush.

In other news:
The fireworks last night were best yet!
The B&W challenge is up on Facebook.
Next up is a batch of wine to bottle.

A photograph to baffle you.