The HM

It's good to have friends.  Lia and I ran through 2011, 2012 and 2013.  Some other coworkers joined us sometimes, which I was glad of, because I believe in inclusion.  (Occasionally we'd do fun stuff like having ethnic food at the conclusion of a run, in this instance taking advantage of the Kenyan pavilion during a festival on the Mall.)

But I always enjoyed running with Lia best because my running buddy was my counselor.  We had such unhindered conversations as I sometimes sought and always valued her opinion on such disparate subjects as running club politics, religion and children.  Despite her much younger age she had such great common sense in addition to being uncommonly wise.  (A running buddy helps in overcoming wintertime blues.)

I became friends with the other regular noontime runners from work too.  We all strove to get faster or thinner or better together.  (There are countless interesting places to run past in DC.)

I was running the September HM, and Lia and another coworker signed up as well.  Good stuff!  (My very first digital picture with my new camera which I bought during the Federal Furlough last year, recording a noontime 5-mile run on the Mall with a co-worker, but we had no office to return to.)