My first morning run

Happy Easter!

Confession: I haven't been running on the weekends. Why? Well because as much as I might intend to my husband is usually around and I find him incredibly distracting. As he isn't a runner so we usually end up deciding on a mutually enjoyable activity. However, I suspect now that the weather is nicer I'll have the opportunity to run on the weekends while he's out on his motorcycle. So don't crash into him!!  

Running during the week is so easy for me because it's part of my day. All of my coworkers know where I go and why at this point it would be weird if I didn't. I'm not sure what I would even do with myself in the middle of the day at this point if I didn't go running. 

The nature of working in healthcare is that you're open 24/7 which means that every so often I do end up working on a weekend manning the phones. I don't work as long of a day as I do during the week though so there's no running for me at lunch time. Since I had only run 4 times this week (wasn't up for running on the snow on Wednesday, WTF snow?!) I figured I would try to get a run in on the trail before since I would be at work  anyway.

Typically at work I spend my lunch hour as such: change into running clothes, warm up walk to trail, run to trail, cool down walk back, stretch, try my best to bathe in the sink and put my work clothes back on. This doesn't even take me a full hour, I have time left over to heat up lunch and attack a liter of water like I've spent a year in the Sahara.

When you take into account that I wouldn't be heating up food and I was already in my running clothes arriving at work an hour before I needed to be there was really more than enough time. I gave myself a little extra warm up time because it was only 36 degrees out and I'm not quite used to that, maybe next year.

It was pretty much business as usual when I headed out, saw a lot more dogs than normal, one that even looked big enough to be a bear cub. There were more people than I've ever seen before which I liked because I don't actually mind saying hi to strangers as much as I might think I do and just in case of an emergency it always feels safer when people are around.

So off I went, running down the trail, lost in my breathing and focusing on people in front of me to see if I could over take them. Suddenly I realized I was farther on the trail than I had ever been before. Turns out the app I use that prompts my intervals and tracks my distance/speed didn't yell at me to turn around at the halfway point which should have happened nearly 10 minutes prior.

Oh crap.

This is the part where I should mention that the return trip on the trail usually goes a little bit slower as it's a gradual up hill adventure. I'm plugging away but the panic over the realization that I might not make it back in time spiked my adrenalin and it's quickly wearing off. I can feel the anxiety creeping in and suddenly my legs feel like jello.

Then in the distance I see the little old man I past earlier, still plugging away up the hill like a champ. I decided to focus on him. I matched his pace and focused on him instead of the size of the hill we were climbing. Bless his obviously in shape ticker, he did not falter once, which really worked out for me because if he had I would have lost all drive and done a slow sad walk the whole way back.

Once the incline was less severe I was able to finish the trail with a bit more vigor that was inspired by the thought of someone coming into the office and finding me a sweaty mess if I didn't have enough time to change.

Turns out I made it with time to spare and was able to get presentable before office hours started but only because I skipped stretching before changing. Don't yell at me I was able to get it done at my desk shortly after and even used a cubical for legs up the wall.

Because of the app screw up I don't have my paces for today but I do know the total distance was 3.49mi which blows the day before out of the water, I'm sticking with my current interval training though so I won't be passing that one for a while, unless of course there is another blunder.