snow storms, long runs and birthdays

My running girls and I had a super fun plan for our long run this week. This is the end of training week 4 for our May marathon and we were supposed to run 11 miles. We all registered for a race called the Mid-Winter Classic in Southern Maine (a 10 miler) and we were going to make a day of it.  Arrangements were made and the party (mini) van was set to depart carrying 2 birthday girls and it was to be a celebration as well as a run.
Except for this small annoying thing called it won't stop snowing in Maine.

The race was postponed by police order due to poor visibility caused by excessively high snow banks and another mini-storm predicted for Saturday into Sunday.  We quickly reorganized and decided it was even too unsafe to run on our local roads and made a plan to each get our runs in however we could and gather for brunch and birthday celebration. (And, damn, no trip to Trader Joe's.)

My mom came and babysat for me as planned since Sandi was working and I hit the gym and the treadmill early this morning.  Somehow, without it feeling like too much torture, I got all 11 miles done and felt reasonably good.  Then I showered at the gym (I wasn't about to go back home if had license to be gone) and headed over to Jen's house to meet the girls.

Since Jen's babysitting arrangements fell through and her husband was working, we all went to her house and, despite our insistence that she not cook for us on HER birthday, she made brunch -quiche and blueberry french toast casserole.  YUM.  Especially after 11 miles.

Emilie, the other birthday girl.

Christine brought the most important contribution.

For their birthdays Emilie and Jen got nothing less than you would expect from the rest of us...running stuff of course, including these super cool arm sleeves that I now covet.

In the end we decided it was actually really nice to just get together and sit and eat and chat, instead of struggling to breath the whole time.  Tempting to just meet for coffee rather than laced up and on the road but I honestly know (and appreciate) that that would never happen. 

I count these 5 women and one of the things I am SO very grateful for in my life.  The fact that they also keep me running?  Total side benefit.