AM Running!

One of the many aspects that I love of running is the celebration of even small achievements. This week, even as my mileage is low and I am still getting back into the routine of running consistently, I have felt great success because of a small achievement.

Twice this week, yesterday and today, I ran BEFORE work!

The weather forecast for the past two days has been unfavorable. Yesterday it hit 90 degrees, and today there were thunderstorms. I intelligently paid attention to the weather, and after running a tough 2.5 miler in  mid 80 degrees on Tuesday I knew that I wouldn't feel good with the running climate predicted. So I made the intelligent, goal-oriented, difficult decision to get up earlier to run before work.

Running in the morning is not my preference. On a practical side, I have to leave for work early, so to get a run in I have to be up before the sun...and as someone who needs at least 8 hours of sleep a night (and struggles to get up even when she gets that), that's challenging. On an athletic side, I find my legs are really tight in the morning and it causes me to run much slower than I would running in the afternoon or evening. When I think about the prospect of running in the morning it's very appealing; it's the reality of my life that makes it not preferable. But this week, at least for two days, I did it. And it was great!

Yesterday was really nice because Kegan and I ran together. It was really nice to spend that time together. The air was cool and fresh, and as tired as I was, I kept reminding myself "you could be running this in suffocating heat". It was certainly a nice jump start to my day. Today felt like an even bigger victory on my part because Kegan couldn't run with me, so I was up and on the pavement on my own.

James, who is basically my running role model, recently commented that he loves the "peaceful morning run through a city that is just waking up". For the past two days I experienced that, which is a rarity in my running history. As the miles increase and I face the time constraints that will likely disallow me from running in the early morning, I will reflect on these wonderful AM runs....another reason why I absolutely love this sport.