Getting By With a Little Help from My Friends

For seven long months of 2014, me and running were not to be.  The fractured tibia sidelined me in more ways than one.  Not only was I cut off from the cardio I loved, I was also cut off from a very important social structure that I needed.
Luckily, my runner girls rallied around me and kept me from going insane - on 24hr standby most days.   They listened while I whined and bitch slapped me when I needed it.  I will be forever grateful to these two ladies for all they did to keep me from going insane - whether they knew it or not.
So, come September 1 when I was cleared to run again - I was looking very forward to hopping right back into the game.  There was one pretty big hiccup in my plans though - I forgot the habit part of it all.  And the fact that when you set aside one thing - other things move in to take over the time you used to spend on them.   My running habit was broken and everyone I knew was going too far and too fast for me on their own training plans.  I was sidelined again on the social side but I did it to myself in that I didn't want to slow them down to build myself back up.
Yeah - I got bitchslapped again.
And then I got my ass dragged out there.  My BRF, Tina, happened to have today off and she told me she would drive down to run with me - my pace, my distance..whatever...but we needed to get my head out of my ass and my ass onto the road again.
Luckily - the weather also happens to be unseasonably warm right now.  Slush city, but capri weather nonetheless.

And that slush - probably exactly what my shoes needed...they were still caked in mud from Woodstock...er, I mean the after party at RNR Van.

Tina was a little late, but we were soon on our way, making our loop of Southwood
The first sign of how out of shape I am was when I had to walk up the hill on Southland.
Once we were on Elbow, however - it was mostly smooth sailing.  We had to single-file it to get past the icy bits, but it was all good.  The hill down Sacramento was fairly clear, but once we were at the bottom - it was treacherous.   Coming into the homestretch - I took a lovely fall that managed to bonk my left ass cheek and my right knee simultaneously (See - still got talent!) Not even sure if you can see the red mark in the pic, but I pouted.

But it was so good to be out with a friend.

I have only run 4 times since I was cleared and I need to do better.  If for no other reason that i need the run-therapy that co es with running with friends.   And in that almost 4k today - I think we got in a little run-therapy that each of us needed so badly.  Time to build momentum.