When I decided to come out to NJ for a few days, I decided I had a few options for today’s long run:
1. Go back to NYC last night to get it in this morning.
2. Sleep in NJ and run solo in Franklin Lakes.
3. Find someone in NJ also in need of a long run.
I knew Heather was training for the Providence Half, so I decided to see if she’d be down for a long run. She lives about a half hour away from my parents, but no distance is too far for me to avoid a solo long run.
The timing worked out wonderfully, because I also got to be the first person to see their new house! (It’s adorable.) I only got a little bit lost on my way there, and by 9:30ish, Heather and I were ready to do 10 miles together. (She’d already done 2 on her own.)
Earlier in the week, she asked how I ran without music. I warned her that my chatty nature extends to running, and I was prepared to chew her ear off, and I was totally fine if she didn’t talk back. Well, we ended up gabbing throughout most of our run, except for the few hills of death she took me on.
We ran through Bloomfield, some of Glen Ridge (rant: town names in NJ are too similar: there is also a Ridgefield, Ridgewood and Glen Rock all within about a half-hour radius of each other) and I think a sliver of Montclair to cover our ten miles. Where I’m from is only 15.5 miles away from Heather, but I’d never been to Bloomfield or Glen Ridge, so it was nice to cover some new ground.
(It was not so nice to kiss the ground, but I fell twice and Heather fell once tripping over uneven sidewalks.)
By mile 8.5, I was more than ready to call it a day but I just kept chugging along until we got back to Heather’s and took sweaty pictures.
Afterwards, I would like to say that I was classy and took a shower, but I took a page out of Emily’s book and just moved my sweat elsewhere–like to my friend Sara’s pool. Bailey also went for a swim, but I didn’t get a picture because I was too busy being a nervous dog mom and making sure he was okay. (He was. When he found the one hole in their fence? Not so okay, but he got back, so that’s all that matters.)
I can’t believe we collectively fell three times.
I look like the loser in a wet t-shirt contest.
@Heather: By that, you mean you look hot 😉
I sometimes wish I could do all my long runs in completely new places! Familiarity is great and all but switching it up really makes the time fly!
ahhh the pool looks so nice…I dream of water these days (water that is not derived from sweat)…
Do you run with a backpack on?
I’ve actually had to cut my NJ trips home short sometimes to get a long run in, in the city. I have a fear of getting lost if I go too far in NJ (where I lived for 18 yrs..OK so I’m not good with directions). It’s crazy you made it through 3 towns in one run! That’s NJ for ya
@Katherine: The pool was so amazing. And so much better than the Astoria pool last week 🙂 I run with a Camelbak, but it usually chafes me.
I’m sort of afraid of getting lost in NJ, too. I’m also not crazy about running on the streets. I might have come back if I hadn’t found someone to run with. I think I might have asked you this before, but where in NJ are you from?
@Theodora: Yeah the camelback looks heavy. I run with one of those waist belts, it’s a little bulky, but I’ve gotten used to it.
I’m from Summit.
showering after long runs is WAY overrated. also, showering after short runs, long bikes, short bikes, bricks of all lengths and really any sweaty activity.