Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Good day for a run

After making 2 attempts at running in the AM and being rained out, I finally made it to the park this morning! Normally, Wednesday mornings don't work, because of the hubby's work schedule. But, he happened to get off work early, which gave me an opportunity to try it again.

I arrived around 5:50 am and the temp actually felt great! Of course, the humidity felt like pea soup, but it was much better than running in the evenings after work! I am always amazed at how many people are at the park in the wee hours of the morning. Then, I realized that this was my 1st weekday morning run at the park that wasn't a holiday. Usually, I am NOT a morning person...I am usually an evening runner. The difference in the temp alone might convince me to change my ways.

I started at the Tennis Center, did a little stretching and was off. I started out a little faster than I was used to, but of course, I am also used to running in 95 degree heat which tends to slow me down. About a 1/2 mile into my run, I ended up right behind two men talking about hiring, resumes and interviews. Ugh! I had to deal with that stuff all day, the last thing I wanted to do was hear about it during my run. So, I opted to run ahead of them...which didn't last for long. When I stopped for water on Memorial, they quickly caught up and jogged past. I decided to walk for a few seconds, so I wouldn't end up right behind them again. Running to me is therapeutic...I like to blow off steam, ponder silly questions and sometimes think of nothing at all. Talking about work during a run is just not my idea of fun. In fact, last year in HoustonFit, we banned the subject of work from our early morning LR discussions.

The rest of my run went well. I once again accidentally turned off my stopwatch, but did manage to track my time based on the 5/1 cycles. When I made it back to my starting point, I thought, why not keep going until you reach the 5K marker? I had done the 2.9 mile loop in exactly 29 minutes and felt pretty good. So, I kept going. I saw the 3 mile marker and looked ahead for the 5K marker. I know it's there somewhere, but somehow I missed it. I finally stopped when I got to the next 1/2 mile marker and headed back to the Tennis Center. I looked again for the 5K marker, but didn't see it. I know I'm not crazy...there used to be a 5k marker there somewhere! Anyway, I finished with a little stretching, utilized the showers and went on to work! It really feels great to 1) already have 1/2 my commute over before I run and 2) have already run for the day and have my evening free to spend with the hubby & kiddo and my studying!

Running Stats
Time/Temp: 5:50 am, 80 w/high humidity
Distance: 3.4 miles
Run time: ~33:53
Pace: ~9:58 (very good for me!)

WW Stats (Tues)
Points used: 32 (darn kolache!!!)
Activity pts earned: 0
Flex pts used: 12
Flex pts remaining: 12

Run long and Livestrong!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You hit the nail on the head as to why I too like to get out there in the wee hours. Driving in from Fairfield is a lot better at 5:00. And the evening is free for family, yard, cooking healthier meals instead of grabbing fast food. Plus, being to the office by 7-7:15 allows me to leave a little early too, saving more time in traffic. Maybe I'll see you there one morning. I'm the big guy running slower than most walk. :)

elf said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
elf said...

Reposting for clarity...I had a short run yesterday, so I just ran from home. I'm out at Memorial most every morning at that time, though--maybe we can catch up one of these days...

Erin