bedtime run

This morning at 4 AM, rain was pouring from the lightning-lit skies.  I rolled over and snuggled back under the covers.  No run for me.  

Normally that's not such a Big Hairy Deal, but I'm counting down days to my Bix race, and missing runs is kind of unacceptable at this point in the game.  I told Gary I would try again tomorrow, though I admitted if the storms were back, that would mean I'd have to find a treadmill tomorrow.

I HATE TREADMILLS.  The thought of pounding out 5 or 6 miles on one just makes me want to go hide in a corner.  I am definitely an outdoors runner.  So, when I saw on the weather report that tomorrow looks like scattered thunderstorms all day and all evening...I took matters into my own hands.

I planned a bedtime run.  

The part of me that is always counting up my badass points liked the idea very much.  The rest of me went straight to pissing and moaning.  RUN at BEDTIME?!  But I was TIRED!  It had been a full day!  I didn't WANT to!  This is the conversation I had in my head while driving home (after a very full day) around 9 PM.  In the end, Karen Who Wants to Finish the Bix Well beat Karen Who Wanted to Just Sleep. 

It was a crappy run.  

It was 84 degrees out.  Too hot to run.  

We still have plumbing issues at our house, and my lazy butt didn't go to the laundromat over the weekend, so I had no comfy running clothes.  I had to choose between reasonably cool with a pocket for the phone, or comfy but horrendously hot or pocketless.  I went with the pockets.  Those pants were WAY tight at the waist, with unforgiving material.  Meant I had a big jelly roll hanging over the waist, wiggling and jiggling and cutting off my breath and giving me a side ache.  NOT COOL.  

It was way dark, between streetlights.  Dark enough that I had a constant concern about tripping and falling. And the headlights of cars were absolutely blinding me, some of the time (I run against traffic).  

I had shared a sub sandwich with my mom for supper at something like 7:30, and could still FEEL it there in my belly, threatening to spew out if I provoked it too much.

And then there was the matter of making others worry.  I knew for sure Gary was worrying (though as usual he had been only wonderful and understanding, when I told him my plans), and it seemed altogether possible that my friends with whom I live might be worrying, too  about me running around after dark.  Really...how long do I want to make people worry?

So I surrendered to reason.  Ran as hard as I could make myself run under all those conditions, but just for 2 short miles.  Then home to the shower, to let people know I was safely in, and to take off those darn tight pants.  

I'm still counting it a victory.  A night run is something I hadn't done before.  I challenged myself.  I didn't just make excuses and give up.  THAT is a victory!