TNT day

Today was a TNT (Team In Training) workout, and a long easy 7 miles was our assignment. I started off at a good clip and then there were a couple TNT runners (Sue and Shawna) just in front of me. They were moving a bit faster than I wanted to go, but I really wanted someone to talk to, so I sped up and caught them. I walked with them for a while, and then one of the runners needed a walk break, so I was just walking with Sue. Sue and I did the rest of the 7 miles together, and it was great. She was a lot of fun to talk with, as she has done 6 marathons, including Boston. She is 6 feet tall (!) and a grandmother of 5, but still young (50s - maybe 50-55?) and very athletic. She was taking it pretty easy today because it was pretty hot (when we started it was fine, but then the sun came over the mountains and it was toasty hot by the end), and we did the 7 miles at a 10:15 pace. That was a little fast for me - it was a "not so easy" pace, and my heart rate was pretty much around 145-155 the whole time (I prefer 135-140 for easy days). But the companionship was worth the fast pace! Next time I don't think I'll try to keep up with her, though, because I really do need to do my long days at a more appropriate pace. There are some slower runners I could try to walk with instead.

Oh, almost forgot to mention that we walked/ran the Porter Rockwell trail in Draper, and it was beautiful! I totally love walking in new places. It's a 30 min drive from my house, but it was worth it to walk with friends somewhere new.