Running is fun.

Ran 10.83 (@8:36) + 2.45 (@9:22) + 0.5 = 13.78 miles

It was a blustery morning and the wind blew inland. I went
on the trail with a half bottle of water.

I ran into K and W shortly after leaving the paved trail and
turned around and ran with them. Three months ago, I
couldn't keep up with either and I wanted to see how much
I've improved since.

W ran in the middle. He stood over 6 feet, spoke in a clear
voice and was jovial. We talked mainly about doctor visits, big
pharma, injuries, shoes, embracing the beast (a la Born2Run),
etc. With the wind pushing, we ran a good pace. I could keep
up with no problem and was enjoying every minute.

As we ran through the park toward the gate, W said as usual
we would have a race for the last 1/3 mile. The fun started!
First, K said: "I'm going to stay behind and you guys go
ahead." As W and I charged on, W cursed and stopped to retie
his shoe laces. Meanwhile, I went full speed ahead. As the
end was near, I slowed down and looked back over my shoulder
to check how far behind the two were. It turned out K was
pulling a torpedo on me! He was quite close until I regained
my form and dashed to seal the race. It was a great run.
[K and W are in their late 50s or early 60s. Amazing guys.]

Talking about Boston and Lake Tahoe, we were joined later by
Ellen and A, finishing their long run. I was very happy to
reconnect with the gang and see the improvement I made
over the past 3-4 months. If I could shave another minute off 
my pace over the next 5 months, I'd have a chance to BQ!
Then what? Maybe I'd go to show off all over the world and
deliver the message that running is fun!

I didn't feel dehydrated and running with others did motivate.
Recovery was fine. I napped for about 40min around 2:00pm
and had the will to get around the house cooking by the
evening. ITBS didn't return but the left outer knee hurts a
little when I touch it. The PF is still there even with my
mid-foot landing. It didn't get worse with my longer milage,
though. Sunday morning, I've got my fresh legs back.