Olentangy Trail Run

I had a new and exciting experience this weekend - I got to do my weekend run with one of my best friends while I was visiting him in Ohio/Indiana!  He runs much faster and further than I do, but he said he'd slow down and stay with me while I got in a 4-5 mile run.

He took us to the Upper Olentangy Trail in Columbus, where we did an out-and-back from the parking lot at the Parklands to the lake at Antrim Park - approximately a 5 mile round trip.  It was an extremely humid morning but it was only about 65 degrees, so it was sticky but not uncomfortable.

Mike wasn't very impressed with my run/walk intervals, and pushed me to turn the Garmin off and let him choose a landmark that we would run to, then do a walk interval - rather than relying solely on the watch.  I tried to keep this up, but had to walk earlier than the landmark almost every time - not a very uplifting experience.  I was also worried that this might tire me out a little too early and I'd be slower on the way back.  But I do appreciate him encouraging and persuading me to go outside my comfort zone - something I should probably do more often.

Once we reached the lake, he continued on and did a lap around the lake at his pace, and I switched on the Garmin and headed back along the route we'd just come down.  He caught up with me with about a mile left, and joined me in doing my standard run/walk intervals back to the car.  He'll probably not want to "run" with me ever again, but I enjoyed getting to spend the time with him and experiencing one of his favorite running routes.

Friday's statistics:

Since I turned my Garmin off after the warm-up walk, I don't have a completely accurate accounting of the first leg of the run, but the second leg, the return trip, is correct.

• 10 min. warm-up walk
• 1st leg: 2 miles
• 2nd leg: 2.55 miles; 0:32:22; 12:41min/mi avg