The alarm was set for 5:55 today, same as usual when I don’t have plans to go out for a run or walk. But what I didn’t know was that my “bladder alarm clock” was set for 5:09AM, and the snooze alarm doesn’t work so well on that particular “clock”. So since I was awake anyway, it seemed like a good opportunity to get in a quick four miles before work in the cool of the early morning.
I pulled on running shorts and a cotton tee, grabbed running shoes and socks, put my key and one of my guardian angels in my pocket, and headed out the door. Maybe I will even run a bit, doing my favorite four mile local route. But I stepped into a steam bath! The humidity had to be 90%, and the temperature, I found out later, was 81 F. I was dripping sweat within 5 minutes, and decided that a fast walk made more sense than running.
The darkness seemed complete, other than some stars visible through the broken clouds and Venus shining up in the eastern sky like an airplane. When I got to the portion of the route that went through the woods, it was so dark that I had to slow my pace a bit, since I could barely see the trail. For a change, it actually felt good to get out of the woods, and shortly thereafter, the hint of the sunrise to come made it easy to see. There was also enough light for me to figure out why my running shoes didn’t feel quite right – I had grabbed my really old pair in the dark and not my somewhat old pair.
Even though it was an uncomfortable morning for a workout, it felt really good to get in a few miles. This is the fourth day in a row that I have gotten in from two to 10 miles each day. I need to make sure that special alarm clock is set more often, because with the cooler weather around the corner, I really need to keep those legs moving. I am also unhappy with how much running fitness I have lost by not running regularly. On the plus side, I've been power walking enough that my walking form seems to have returned to nearly full strength. During my half-marathon training, I had been running so much and walking so little that I was losing some of that edge.
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3 comments:
Kuddos for getting back out there Art! But... it is going to be really hard for those of us in Texas to feel bad for ya :) 81! That's GREAT weather- we have been in the 90's and 100's for quite some time and, like you Art, Can't wait for cooler days to run in :)
I thought you were going to say you had on 2 different shoes from two different pairs on. That would really have been bad :)
Happy running Art!
I'm loving my morning runs when the rest of the world is asleep!
Good point Elayne. But 81 at 5AM was a real shock. Usually there is at least the pretense of coolness at that early hour, even though it can start feeling pretty warm after a mile or so. But yesterday, it felt warm from the first second I stepped out the door.
I'm with you on that Ken, more often than not. It is quiet and peaceful. Once I am out there, I almost always enjoy it.
Now I just have to get on a real schedule again.
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