Aaand...action!

What a week it's been. My good friend C has been here visiting for a few days (too few), and we've had an amazing time. Catching up, laughing till our stomachs hurt, sightseeing and -of course- running filled our time together. C is a fledging runner. More important, she is willing to listen to me talking about running for what seems like hours on end. And she claims she likes it. I choose my friends very carefully. They have to be able to put up with me going on about the things I love. Poor things.

Because C is a beginner, and because of my still strained muscle, we thought we'd take it easy on our runs in the woods together. We ran when we could, walked when running got too tiresome. Even so, C impressed and inspired me so much with her determination and strength. She managed to run 5,5 kilometres in her longest run, which is an achievement of heroic proportions, one that makes me very happy. I always get inspired by runners pushing their limits, regardless of their level. More so when they're friends of mine. 

After I dropped C off at the station, very sad to see her go, I went for a run by the sea. We'd been running on the hilly paths around the lake all week, so I wanted to see how far my thigh muscle could take me on a flat surface. The strain was there, but it never hurt. Unfortunately my stomach was a different matter. About half way into my run it cramped up and I had to walk for a few minutes. When it eased up, I recommenced my running and gradually picked up some speed again. In the end I managed to run 10,5 km, which I'm very happy about. I've been confined to single digit runs for two weeks now, so it was nice to get back to running longer distances. It was like waking up from a deep slumber. Who knows. If all goes well, I might even be able to enter the Gothenburg Half Marathon in two weeks.