You are Now at a Crossroads.

I've come to the conclusion that Crossroads should receive a 2008 Best of Boston award in the restaurants and food category for offering the best cheese pizza after a nine mile run. On Thursday night, I hopped onto the D-line with Sarah and a few other DFMC runners to run "hills." I prefer to replace the word hills with "the Boston Marathon route." Running "the Boston Marathon route" has a much nicer ring than running "hills." Sarah and I started our run at the Woodland stop while the others in the group took a few minutes to stretch. We figured we'd give ourselves a bit of a head start because we were obviously the only first-time marathoners in the group that night. We tippy-toed across the icy sidewalk on Washington Street until we heard the pack of runners moving in on us. We tried to pick up the pace in an attempt to save face, but the other runners blew past us like a strong gust of wind.

With the other runners up ahead, Sarah and I continued at a steady, ten mile pace along Newton's rolling hills. This was Sarah's first experience running along the carriage path, and we were both impressed by the Christmas lights and mansions on the route. It was difficult to point out the infamous heartbreak hill in the dark until we were actually running up it. We made it to Cleveland Circle and turned left on Beacon. We pushed ourselves up the hill before Coolidge Corner, and ran until we found Crossroads. Our run culminated in a high-five, a hug, and the opportunity to get to know a few of our 2008 DFMC teammates. I was so impressed by Sarah's strength and determination to complete the route without stopping, and I'm already looking forward to our next run together!