Sundays

I remember hating Sunday's in college. Late Saturday nights, followed by a mountain of homework and of course, class started again on Monday. Don't get me wrong, I like school fine, but Sunday's just weren't any fun.

When I was a kid, Sunday's usually meant a family trip somewhere. Usually a hike or a picnic. I can't always say I loved those when I was a kid, but as an adult, I am so grateful that my parents always set aside a weekend day for getting out an enjoying CO and spending time together as a family. I know there were days that I complained like a champion because it would have been so much more fun to hang with my friends than with my family. But I also remember, once we got wherever we were going, I almost always had a good time.

And now, I look forward to Sunday's. They almost always include a long run. But more than the run, they almost always include good friends. When I was focused on marathon training it was often just me and Jane. But last year post Pikes Peak I started running with another group of women. Now Sunday runs range from as few as 3 (it's rarely less than that anymore) to as many as 8 or even 10. We have a range of paces and on some Sunday's those paces stray from their usual. Rarely do we do the same run two weeks in a row and rarely do we miss a week. I need these friends on many Sunday's to push me up the next hill, or get me through a run that's harder than it should be. And I need them because they make me smile and because the make me laugh. And laughter is good for the soul. Amazingly, this summer's race series was on Sunday's which kept up the long run tradition on Sunday and with Jane!

Most Sunday's we also go for breakfast after our runs. The Egg & I, Adam's Mountain Cafe, The Peak Grill or Old Worlde Bagel. It's actually been a while since the Bagel shop was a frequent stop. Jane and I used to go, shivering after long runs at the south end of town. We'd always hope the couch by the fireplace was available so we could huddle by the fire. There are other places we venture. And this week we started something new. I hosted the girls for breakfast. I can't remember why we decided to do this periodically. I think it had something to do with the comforts of home and wanting to know our friends and their homes. Given my travel schedule which kicks off this week, I knew that even if I was home on a Sunday in October, I wasn't likely to have the energy to clean or cook! So I offered to kick off this new tradition. I had a ton of CSA veggies I wanted to use, too! I made a couple of quiches - cippolini onions, kale and tomatoes (all from the farm) and spinach, potato and cippolini onions (also all from the farm). We went crustless and meatless and nutless because among us we are gluten-free and veggie and tree-nut free, too! Some yummy Whole wheat, oatmeal raisin muffins, fresh peaches and pears (also from the CSA) and coffee from Anthony's on Maui (thanks Matt). Yum.

And my Sydney behaved. She let Mia come into her house and she didn't snarl, growl our act territorial at all. Big deal. She loves having people in her house, but she hasn't always been kind to other dogs in her house. So the day was an all around success.

Oh, and we ran in the Garden. A good 7 1/4 miles on the trails. It was a beautiful fall day, made even better by the presence of good friends.

Here's to Sunday's. Too bad they only happen once a week!