The waiting is over!

Yes, you heard me...the waiting is over! Today was the day - for what? The perfect run!
I was uber excited that on my runs yesterday I was able to wear shorts, I felt good but with coaching, the runs are about the people you are with, which means you sacrifice (me, happily) your run and pace for the amazing task of getting someone else through theirs. Yesterday was a great day, period.
But as the sunset last night I began to think about today and the option to get up early for a 7am 10 miler with Judy, Jill and Maggie's Half Marathon Training Team.
I checked the weather - 30 degrees for scheduled start time - which meant shorts - yay me...
I picked out a fabulous green and black ensemble because it makes me feel good to look good. :-)
I could set aside my Smart Wool winter socks and rock my new favs, Nike's dri-fit no-shows, ever better!
I laid out all my gear, charged up the new Garmin 310XT and went to bed knowing I would be up far before my alarm clock made a peep.
I was right...3:37am and I was wide awake, Bob was snoring, the fur kids gave me a blank stare and snuggled back up in their beds and I laid there...
And laid there...
And laid there...
I took an assessment of myself and how I felt.
Rested?  Yep...
Excited?  Yep...
Ready to go out for a 10 miler and own it?  Yep!
I tip toed out of the room about 4:30am and made my way downstairs, grabbed the iPhone for a temperature check - YAY, 29 degrees with a matching windchill, perfection.  I stepped out on the back porch in my robe and barefeet and took it in. THIS is the day. The start of my comeback, I could FEEL it.
Since carb-induction is over and I am eating carbs again, but only in smart choice, mid-range doses, it was time to decide on breakfast...I agreed with GVF that a peanut butter, whole wheat English muffin should be my pre-run breakfast of champions today!  I mixed up and drank my Accelerade, threw the muffin in the toaster and head up to dress out.
All ready at 6am, woke the Hub, took the fur kids out and ate up. Grabbed my stuff and out the door I went.
Of course I was the first one there, per usual. I hated this today because it gave me time to think and I was beginning to doubt the awesomeness I had so been anticipating. "Shake it off" I told myself.
The group started to arrive and soon we were all there and ready to go and being in "doubter stage" I told Judy I would probably be running mid-pack today because I wasn't "feelin' it".
We started off and there goes Maggie with the front runner Tommie (girl) and me not too far behind. Stomp, stomp - stomp, stomp go my feet. This feels good, maybe I will run up front with Maggie.

AHA, the human metronome - ever seen one? She can run as smoothly and consistently as one of these instruments, never faltering, perfect pace, strong and passionate. That's the key to my perfect run today, be one with Maggie. Although, as you have read before, Maggie is fast, faster than me, but since she is coaching, she had to stay near or in site of the front runner of the group. She and I started talking and it just happened...we found a stride, gossiped and giggled and I kept looking at my watch in disbelief.  We decided to challenge Tommie a bit and not stay with her, but rather pull out in front of her but still in view and challenge her to step outside her comfort trying to stay close to us. She never faltered. We hit the 5 mile mark at Lombardy, waited for Tommie to roll in, and as she did she said "I am really pushing to keep up with you two!" I said, "Good, enjoy your SAG, see ya!" , thanked our awesome SAGmaster Benny and off we went.
We continued enjoying the beautiful morning, continued talking and I told Maggie at 7 miles that I didn't think I could keep the pace. It had been so perfect so far, ugh. Then I remembered yesterday on my run with the local shelter team...B wanted to quit and I asked him if he had more and he said "I don't want to be a quitter,  I may hurt, I may not be happy, but I am no quitter!" So that was it, I committed, committed to finish and finish strong. The last 3 miles got faster each mile, even going up hill (well, duh, I lovey the hills, chomp, chomp).
As we turned onto Willow Lawn Drive for the final stretch, that was it. I knew it. I was just about to finish the perfect run.
There's something about it when all the pieces fall together - doing something you love, with friends you love, watching someone else achieve something they want yet feeling a total sense of accomplishment in yourself.
The run was perfection...the comeback has begun!
Run safe, run happy!
-d