What are friends for?

Friends are for getting you up and out of bed, out the door and ready to run by 6:30 a.m. on a cold Saturday morning.

I am nearing the end of week eleven of The Rookie Marathon Training Plan, which today calls for an "Easy 17-18 miles." Sure. Just take it easy while you repeatedly pound pavement for three hours. Most enjoyable. I was about to throw in the towel when two of my running friends joined me and propelled me through most of these miserable miles. Thank-you Missy, I now call Missy Mitochondria (you have never seen anyone pull power out of a hat like this fiery Italiana) and thank-you Gale, a.k.a. Gale Force Wind (ridiculously strong, fast, and quietly persuasive).

Running 17.5 miles does not feel good. I belted up with Strawberry Gatorade which I bought because I liked the color, and have remained faithful to the black cherry Clif Bar shot bloks. So we set out in about 39 degree weather and ran through forests, vineyards, and neighborhoods for about three hours, until my vision was blurred, my feet were numb, my patience had thinned, and 17.5 miles were finally behind me!

The reward? I made myself a breakfast sandwich with the world's best english muffin from The Model Bakery, topped with egg and prosciutto. Delightful.