Running Buddy Moving Bummer

A cool pic I found on Facebook that's a good summary of how I feel about my running buddies:

I'm not sure if it's big enough to read, but hope so.  I didn't know how to clip out the "mi piace/commenta" part in the bottom left (that's what you get for "like/comment" if you FB in Italian). 

Oh well.  Even though I'm not running with my running buddies right now, I know I will soon.  I still see them pretty often, but I can't ask them to slow down several minutes per mile to accomodate my new weighted pace.  So instead I'm making new running buddies for now.  But one of my best running friends (well, actually just one of my best friends, though we met through running) has been so supportive she's even done a couple races with me at my weighted pace.  And for my big walks, lots of my running buddies have come out to slog a few slow walking miles by my side.  I'm lucky.  I can't imagine being motivated enough to run solo, and even if I got out there, I think I'd just get so bored. 

I know I've written it before, but the group I've run with for years has become among my core friends.  Some of the group I see outside of running, but even for the ones that I only see (or used to see I should say) a few days a week for our runs, just having all those hours of time to talk about everything takes the friendships to a whole new level.

I feel like I've been through so much with that group -- first dates, break-ups, marriages, deaths, divorces, moves, job changes, injuries, people-making.  And just all the discussions that go with all of those things.  Talking out relationship stuff, daily frustrations, thoughts about our jobs, etc.  It's like therapy in some ways, but really, it's just friendship.  The running part just adds to it -- working together toward our goals, and then being there for the big PR, or the big bust, sometimes those end up being big moments in our lives. 

Guess that explains why I'm still pretty sad to have learned that one of my running buddies is moving away.  He's not in the core group I run (well, ran) with a few days per week, but someone I'd run with in the evening every so often.  And someone I'd race with and drink with.  I've now lost two good running buddies to California -- bah!  One followed his now-wife to the San Fran area, the other went to LA for a job and took his family with him.  Now I'm losing one to St. Paul.  And I've lost 2 more this year to injuries (though one was people-making before that, so she really hadn't been back long).  When I'm done with this weighted marathon I wonder who will be left!  I know the ones who haven't moved are running without me, I'm just looking forward to rejoining them.  Thankfully there are still some left...