Lessons Learned

Good Evening,
Today the group completed another successful run, with the majority of members exceeding the running goal by over 10min!
Some valuable lessons learned from today's run:
1- Take note of any forks in the road along the path so that as you come up on them on your return, you will not head the wrong way. ( I fell victim to this oversight today and ended up almost 15 min down the wrong path, alone. "But how could that have occurred if you are running in a group?", you say. Which brings me to the second lesson learned today...
2- If your running time is based on the preset goal, you may want to consider heading back at the half-way time mark. For example, with us scheduled to run 37 min this coming weekend, I will likely run 20 min, then turn around and head back for the remaining 17. This of course is completely optional and feel free to use your discretion to determine whatever best practice will help you reach your goal. Because my target was 34 min, once reached (a personal triumph!), I walked the rest of the way back and took in the beauty of the green way. Naturally, with the group still running and the many curves and turns of the path , I lost sight of everyone. Didn't seem alarming, until I realized I had gone almost 15 min down the wrong path.
3- Once you find what works, stick to it! I failed to drink my regular 40oz of water after 7pm Fri, and woke up at 7am Sat too late to drink an amount sufficient to ensure proper hydration. I also ate a huge meatball marinara for dinner (very unusual for my mostly vegan diet). Lastly, I had only run 2 miles during the week, as opposed to my normal 7. Add in a 48hr bout of the flu, and all of these factors weighed heavily on my run. Although I reached my goal, as Torrey would say, "it was an ugly run".

Many thanks to Julian, Andrea, Ann and Tasha for seeing to it that I made it safely back on the path before they departed. Thank you for supporting and accompanying Hassan as he quietly worried " Where is my mother?" I am especially appreciative of the latter.

It was indeed a beautiful path as I was advised, and we found other runners who were very friendly and encouraging. Many thanks to those anonymous individuals!
Siana