Branching out?

I am considering running with a group of people, and I wonder what I am going to get out of it. I have always enjoyed my solitary runs, and I am a slave to my iPod. I think it is because I live in such a noisy environment. When I get out there early in the morning, and the streets are deserted, the low hum of absolute quiet is magical. But if I go to some of these scheduled runs, maybe the sheer motivation of other moving people will ignite some surge in me.

When I first started running, I ran with others. I was so much slower then, and I always had this strange sense of guilt that I was somehow holding the others back. Of course, they denied that I was any trouble whatsoever...but one lady was so much faster, she moved on. We had two others move away, and the last...my good friend...didn't have the desire to do distances. So I fell upon myself to be my own entity out on the road. At first I was scared, and a little befuddled; eventually came a warm sense of "being". At some point, I couldn't imagine running with others again. I get entrenched in my thoughts, and I get to listen to my music (as opposed to whatever is blaring from the Disney Channel at my house).

I will give it a try and see how it goes. Who knows? Maybe I will learn something new. Meeting new people and enjoying different scenery may invigorate my stride.

Speaking of stride, I am beginning to culminate a little trepidation about the Tour De Pain coming up here shortly. Three races in 24 hours. Doable? Yes. The one aspect of the race that troubles me is the four mile beach run--the first race of the three. I don't run well on the beach. I got injured the last beach race, so I have to eat a little crow this time around. I am going to have to run it and not "race" that particular race. I can't risk the injuries as marathon season is upon us and I am in full swing with training as of the last week of July. I will focus on the mile sizzler--maybe, just maybe, I can be super fast for once!