There is a phrase in Spanish "Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres" (Tell me who you are with and I'll tell you who you are.) For this post, I've modify the phrase to share how running with Kate made a big difference for me Saturday.
We ran 8 miles. On that morning, I was not particularly excited about running, but as soon as we got to the Richmond Marina, I felt invigorated just by seeing my teammates and feeling the sunny morning. Nonetheless, 8 miles are 8 miles!
Kate runs faster than me, but she accommodated. I did too, by running a bit faster then usual. Then the conversation was interesting. We both talked and listened. Then we started to laugh about life, while running. It also helped that we would say Hi, Bye and Go Team to every person we encountered. The water stops and the stops to the restrooms helped too.
But Kate's story telling was fundamental for our running the last part of the 8 miles. See, there is a point where some runners get bored or anxious. Your body is fine, you are running with energy and technique, but your mind is trying to stop you.
Experienced runners know they can do many things to manage their thinking. Kate's story-telling should be added to it.
I'll tell you what the story was about, if one day you run with me.
And so we ran 8 miles at a good pace, with easy, and lots of fun. I call it quality run.
