After the debacle of a 10 mile run that I had last week, I declared on Monday morning that I was going to hit every training run and get a 12 miler in that week! I figured the only way to get out of that awful rut was to just run more so last week that is what I did...
I ran all 3 training runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and was primed to get up Saturday morning for my 12 miler. But life was very busy this week: grant project came to an end and 2 events in 1 day at Brookside! I started there at 7:30 am Friday and was finally headed home at 10 pm. Saturday morning run was not to be... so Sunday it was!
When running a long run at a slow pace, you must account for time it takes when you have to be at work at 9 am that morning. So my alarm was set at 5 am and off to bed I went at 9 pm. I had no idea that this early morning run was going to be such a wealth of information for me!
What I Learned at 5 am:
1. 5 am is dark. No sun rising yet, no stars, just darkness... I forgot that when I made this grand scheme!
2. If you don't want to get hit by a half awake motorist at 5 am, you should really wear a brightly colored shirt. I could not fathom why the few cars I saw really couldn't see me until I looked down. My outfit was great: dark pink shirt and black shorts, I looked good... but dark pink with no reflecting colors not so good to avoid cars... Good thing I didn't have to run on the roads for too long!
3. No one is awake at 5 am. No house lights are on, no garages are open and even dogs don't want to be up to bark at you. My pups were fast asleep until I got home!
4. Bunny Rabbits really are not that scared of humans. I ran alongside one for about 5 minutes. The lil' guy just hopped along seemingly with a smile on his face as I puffed along.
5. In my brilliant wisdom, I realize why it is called a "rabbit" for a race. You know that guy that gets paid to run just slightly faster than a runner so that they can try to catch him. I understood why it was called a rabbit, but did not realize how true in nature it was until yesterday morning. After the 1st bunny and I enjoyed a 5 minute jaunt, another bunny rabbit jumped on the path in front of me. He was just far enough that I could not catch him but close enough that I wanted to try! And at one point, I swear he turned around and mocked me for not catching him before he scurried away!
6. 12 miles is a really long distance. I ran through my playlist twice, ran out of water in my fuel belt and was able to mentally go through my whole week's schedule twice! I also came up with some great ideas, now if only I could remember them... :)
As I was willing my legs to just run home, I realized that the sun had come, the day was starting for people all around me and I was able to witness the whole calming beginning! I came in the house, the pups were barking, the baby and husband were up and the day had a sense of promise that only a new day can have. It was going to be a glorious Sunday! Now if only I could move...
Glad you were able get your run in! I hate running in the dark. I've started listening to podcasts on my long runs. For some reason people talking seems to make the time go by faster than music.
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