It pays to get out of your comfort zone...

I had already planned on a 6.5 run this  morning.  I had already planned on doing it around 7:00am'ish.  What I didn't plan on was the opportunity to take a step out of my comfort zone.

People, when you get down to it, I'm a shy person and it takes a lot for me to go meet people I don't know.  Well, I saw a post on a local running group's Facebook page.  Normally I see posts like..."heading out for 10 mile run at a 8:30 pace" or "20 mile at marathon pace" or "doing any easy 6.....at the speed of sound".  These posts are intimidating!  These people are scary! Not them personally of course.  I'm sure they are lovely people, and reading their banter always makes me laugh and brightens my day. But let's face it.  I'm not near that capablity.  I don't have the distance and I don't come CLOSE to having the speed.  So...I take myself out and go at my own penguin pace.  Except today. 

Yesterday I saw a post saying "6-8 at an easy pace".  Well normally, their easy is my race pace times a gazillion.  And then I saw "10:00 or slower".  DING DING DING DING  I thought to myself, "self, you should throw caution to the wind, and give it a go."  So, though I worried about keeping up and talking coherently while I ran and my normal meet-new-people-anxiety, I went.  And I'm so glad I did.

We had a fabulous run.  It was a gorgeous day, and this may have been the fastest 6.5 I've ever run.  Not in actual time, but the companionship and the conversation made it fly!  Then, post run, we sat outside with a cup of java in front of the local coffee shop on a very busy Main St. It was nice to meet you, my new friends!  I hope we get to do it again.  Good times!!

So, to those reading.  Don't be afraid to move outside your comfort zone every once in awhile.  Sometimes it works out much better than you expect!

TTFN