There is a small lake near where I live with a 3 mile loop that is popular with joggers. After eating way too much over the holidays, I decided to go run. Maybe it was due to the near freezing temperature or maybe it’s the holidays, but the loop didn’t have the normal amount of joggers as a normal Sunday.
During the first lap around the lake I was focused on my breathing and cadence, but sometime during second lap I start to notice a cute guy with a full beard trailing me. I knew he wasn’t a runner and I could leave him in the dust if I picked up my pace, instead I decided to slow down and let him catch up and run besides me. We locked eyes, greeted each other and during the run we made some small talk. After another lap, I could tell he was starting to slow down and instead of injuring his ego I asked to stop and decided to stretch.