Wednesday, October 27, 2010

10K training and Morning Runs

So I've officially started a 10K training program called "bridge to 10K" made for 5K graduates.  It's easy so far.

So I wanted to take you through this morning's running experience.  It's not that I'm not a morning person--I do okay in the morning as far as general moods go--but I've never been a morning exerciser.  The only time I exercised in the morning hours was when I was home fulltime with Mimi and I would go to the gym at like 10am--lol.

But with my work schedule, it's getting difficult to fit in my 3-4 weekly runs comfortably.   Right now I do one of my runs (or two) on the weekend, when time is waaaay more flexible, and the others I desperately try to fit in during the week.  When things are less crazy at work I'll leave work at 4:30 instead of 5 and get home with just enough time to run before my husband pulls in the driveway with Mimi.  Other days, I run when we get home with Mimi at home with daddy or in the jog stroller.  Mimi was doing fine with the jog stroller until I upped my mileage and she gets bored.  So I said to myself "self, you need to shag your butt out of bed and run before Mimi wakes and up and before work" this way, I don't miss evening time with her, I don't have to drink coffee so late in the day to have energy to run, and I dont' have a fussy kid in a jog stroller for 45 minutes--

side note---why do people by $300 jog stollers and NEVER jog with them!?

anyway....
So last night I forced myself to go to bed at 10:30 and set my alarm fo 5:50am.  I set out all my running stuff right by the front door, shoes, clothes, ipod, everything.  I prepped the coffee machine and went to bed hoping for the best.

When my alarm went off my husband started to shoving me out of bed "go run" he said with his face muffled with pillows.  See you think he's being supportive and encouraging me right? guess again--he just wanted me to shut my alarm off and kick me out of bed so he could sleep!

So by 6:07am I was coffeed up, dressed, and on the dark road.  DARK. Holy jesus it was dark this morning. Almost unsafe dark.  Luckily I felt okay because there were lots of cars out and people walking their dogs---Our dog wasn't even up for a walk that early, he perked up a little when I initially woke up then snoozed back to sleep on the living room rug...

Running in the morning was so different, in goods ways and bad.  First thing I noticed was how much faster my first mile was.  The second mile I had to push through, I wanted to stop for a minute and just breath because my asthma has been so bad after having bronchitis, but I pushed through.  The third mile I was dying.  I needed Lady GaGa to get me through. I was going to walk the last half mile home (the whole route door and back is 3.5 miles) because my legs were sore, but I saw the morning bus and knew it was almost 7am and that I needed to get home.  I cranked up some Enrique Inglesias "Baby I like it....." and sang my way home thinking of Courtney for some reason.

I actually had to take off my shirt the last 1/4 mile and run in just a sports bra--it was that hot.  I passed by the two elderly ladies who walk their dogs like 10 times/day and they didn't' seem to be scared by my half nakedness.

I am proud that I ran, but I'm not sure if I'll make this a regular thing.  I'll have to get out the door by 6am and not 6:10 next time if I want to get to work on time.  Now I am all hyped up on coffee and endorphins that I can't sit still--at 3pm I'll probably crash and burn.

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