Running with a group

My next door neighbor Paul runs with a bunch of guys in San Elijo Hills on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  Paul has invited me to run with them a couple of times, but I hadn't ever gotten around to it.  Normally I get up and drive to work in downtown San Diego as early as possible to avoid traffic.  If I want to run, I run downtown along the water or on a treadmill in a health club.

Today, after having been sick for more than a week, I needed to go for a run and decided I could deal with a little traffic.  As it turns out, the running gods have been smiling down on me, as the group meets up a quarter mile from my house, at the end of my street.

This morning there were four runners and a dog waiting on the corner.  We set off right about 6:00 a.m. and headed south down the dirt path alongside Questhaven.  On the way, we picked up four more runners and another dog and headed into the dirt trails off Questhaven.  Chris, who recently finished a 100 mile run, led the group, which allowed me to zone out and just go with the flow.  Even though I knew exactly where I was, it's nice to have a tour guide.

This was the first time I had run with a group since my junior year of high school and I had forgotten how much I liked it.  Since I started running again a year ago, with the exception of running with my son, I've been a lone wolf runner.  I was now part of a pack, and a hardcore pack at that.

We ended up running a little over six miles, and although my legs were a little sore for not having run for awhile,  I felt good.  After the run I realized I should have done this months ago.  As a result, I encourage everyone who is a lone wolf runner, to run with a pack every now and then, as it enriches the running experience.
  

San Elijo Hills Running Club