A running group of 1

Well, it had to happen. I was the only one of the usual group to show up for the long run on Sunday. It was the first time in a while that I had to do my long run by myself, and it was a little hard to get motivated at first. I headed out the bike path to the rail trail, headed towards the dump. It was a beautiful day, a little hot in the sun, but once I got to the trail and the shade, perfect. The rain from the night before hadn't puddled up on the trail too much, and it was soft and easy. I kept thinking of Justin, Mark and Erin in the VCM, and I was hoping it wasn't too hot for them. I cruised up to the wood bridge in about 52 minutes, about 8:20 pace. Nothing too speedy, but I was enjoying the morning. After a little rest, and all the bug bites I could handle, I headed back down. A mile or so into the return I saw a group running well, and it turned out to be Greg, Jeff an a couple others from the Wednesday group. I turned around and joined them for their trip to the bridge. Now the pace was a bit quicker, but it still felt ok. Heading back again, I wasn't sure how long I could stay up with them, and after a a few miles, I thought I'd drop back a bit so as not to hold them back too much. Once I dropped back just a little, I actually felt better, and I caught back up pretty easily. Once we broke out of the shade I knew it would be a different story, and by the time we crossed the highway, I knew I had to let them go. I walked just a bit and regrouped. I made it back from the bridge in 44 minutes, about 7:10. Shows what a slight downhill will do, plus running with a faster group.
In the afternoon, Roma and I went to North Hampton and ran the 5K course on the trail. It was a nice leisurely pace, and a great way to end the day. So it ended up being my first twofer, 15 am, 3 pm, 18 for the day.