Running with a New Coworker

My coworker, Anagha, is fresh out of grad school at U of M (Go Blue!) and is eager to get back into a regular exercise routine.  She asked me if she could go running with me some time.  I told her that I've been running a lot of miles in preparation for an upcoming race, and that maybe she wanted to wait until I was not doing such intense workouts.  But she was happy to just exercise in the same space even if we didn't run at the same pace.


So, I thought that going to a nearby park would be a good idea.  Cascade Park is just a couple miles from our office, and it has a nice paved loop that measures exactly 1 mile.  A perfect place to stay close to each other but do our own things.

We decided to do the first lap together so Anagha could get familiar with the path.  We started out at an easy jog, but Anagha hasn't been running in 3 years, so we transitioned to walking pretty quickly.  We finished the first mile walking together and chatting about life, then I took off to do my planned workout.


I passed Anagha a couple times sitting in the park talking on her cell phone.  I think she did 2 or 3 laps and then got caught up in conversation.  A great start to getting back into exercise, though!  We met back up by our cars when I finished my run and headed to our respective homes.


This morning, Anagha said, "Don't judge me by my performance yesterday.  I can do more!"  No judgement at all!  She got out there moving for the first time in 3 years.  She did great!  She walked at least a couple miles on a beautiful, sunny, spring day.


I'm proud of my coworker for getting back into fitness after grad school!  I'm honored to help as some small motivator for her.  I look forward to hitting the roads and trails with Anagha again soon.