[SwimTeamSpeedo]

Ben and Erik were out the door early, not quite ten minutes after 5am. This far east and north, the sun was up early, waking both of them far earlier than they normally would. They quickly got ready for a morning run. They had first each grabbed pairs of running shorts, but then Erik opted to just slip on one of his swimsuits, this time opting for the original black and gold Speedo, his first. Ben followed his lead, stripping back out of his blue shorts and sipping into a blue and yellow Arena suit. They gingerly tip toed out the lakeside door, wondering if Jack was already out swimming. The lake was still, the air was a crisp 65, and the sun was just starting to crest the eastern hills.

“Let’s go,” Ben said as he leapt off the deck stairs. A raft of ducks that had taken up the night on the dock quaked loudly as they scurried into the water. Erik smiled as Ben stared running, clad only in the cute blue suit and a pair of Nike Waffle Trainer running shoes. Erik set off behind him, looking similarly out of context in his black and gold Speedo and a pair of Nike Daybreak running shoes. They turned right onto the dirt road that would lead them toward town. The road along the lake was narrow as it wound its way toward the town and main road. Some parts gravel, and some just tire tracks in the soft earth. The guys were not sure how far it was to the end, but they guessed it was five miles each way. They intended to cover all of it and back.

“This feels like a good pace,” Ben said to Erik, who was now side by side with him.

“Perfect,” replied Erik, the strings of his suit bouncing with each landing. He guessed they were running about 6:15 miles, give or take.

They ran in silence for at least a mile, simply enjoying each other’s company. The road occasionally came close to the lake, but for the most part it meandered through the forest. A loud rustle in the woods startled the two. They both looked at each other, a somewhat panicked expression on their faces. The sound got louder and closer.

“What the f..k is that?” Ben said.

“I have no idea,” Erik replied. “But whatever it is, it is close.”

They heard the breaking of branches to their left. Both of them were clearly freaked by the situation. Erik looked down at himself, almost naked but for the tiny swimsuit. Ben and he were in no way dressed to fight a wild animal. “Maybe this running was not such a smart idea,” Erik thought. The two stopped.

“Should we run back?” Ben asked.

“I don’t know,” said Erik, sounding confused.

Suddenly about 100 feet ahead, a large, tall animal burst from the woods onto the road. The tall bull moose was making his way to the lake. While he glanced at the two swimsuit clad guys as he crossed the road, he gave them no concern at all. As quickly as he emerged, he vanished into the woods across the road. The guys listened as his footsteps made the same rustling sound.

“Holy crap,” said Erik. Neither he nor Ben had ever seen an animal that big before.

“What was that thing?” Ben said.

“I am pretty sure that was a moose,” Erik replied. “He was huge.”

“Do they eat people?” Ben asked.

“Obviously not,” Erik replied. “If they did, we’d have been that things breakfast.”

“Good point,” replied Ben. The guys were still a little freaked as they started a slow jog. They said nothing as their pulse rates came back down.

“Man that really was cool,” Erik finally broke the silence.

The guys hit the intersection of the main road at about forty minutes, making their U-turn to start the six mile run back. The sun was up higher now, but the road was still mostly shade covered, keeping it cool, perfect for a run. Small trickles of sweat had soaked the front of their suits and their muscular abs were shimmering from the moisture. About a mile in they heard a car coming. As it got closer they contemplated their decision to run in just swimsuits. Perfectly normal on a beach, but this was more of a remote back road than a beach.

“What should we do?” Ben asked, Erik knowing exactly what he was referring to.

“It’s no big deal,” Erik replied. “They are just swimsuits.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Ben, who was feeling way more self-conscious about what he had on, or maybe what little he had on.

A red Ford pickup rounded the curve and came into sight. Two guys inside. They slowed as they approached, due to the narrow road. As they passed they waved and nodded. The truck continued on its way. Inside the truck, the two guys didn’t give the two swimsuit clad runners a concern.

“See, told you…” Erik replied after they passed.

Ben picked up the pace, pushing the final five miles of the run. He brought them under six minute miles and kept increasing as they went further down the road. Erik stayed right with him, even at this pace they both had reserve speed they could use.

“I think we are about two miles left,” Ben said. “This was where we saw that moose.”

“Yeah, probably Erik replied. This time Erik took the lead. He opened up his stride and put on a powerful surge. The rivalry was on. Ben pushed hard to catch him, having to sprint full speed to get back up to Erik. The two guys really were working each other now, their tight suits flexing with the movement of their muscles in the back. Erik loved the freedom of leg movement the suits gave him, even better than his most favorite full side split shorts.

Ben was not going to be outrun. As he passed the final turn before their driveway, he burst a solid surge, catching and passing Erik.

“F..K you,” Erik yelled in jest and frustration. He aggressively put on a surge, and caught Ben with maybe 300 yards to go. The guys were well under a five minute pace, probably 4:30. Erik gave it all he had and edged next to Ben. With a hundred feet to go, He kicked hard and shot a few feet ahead, crossing the driveway just about arms- length ahead of Ben.

“Good freaking run,” Ben said, gulping in air. “You kicked my ass on that last surge.”

Erik smiled and the two gave each other high fives. Their suits now fully soaked in sweat. They both bent over at the waist and caught their breaths. Ben reached over and rubbed Erik’s cute back side, his suit hugging his bubble butt, exposing his tight, muscled upper legs. Neither was in any condition to take it much further, but they still admired their chiseled, lean bodies.

“Damn, what a run,” Erik said as they headed back to the house. Ben wrapped his arm around Erik’s waist and pulled him close.

“Now, let’s get in that lake,” Ben requested.
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