Best-laid plans

Last night I laid out my running clothes, gloves, and reflective vest, in hopes that I would have time for a pre-work run. The kids are out of school, so the morning shuttle service will not be making its usual stops. The night, however, was just not long enough. By the time morning rolled around, my clothes remained on the floor as I fought with myself to get on with the day. There would be no early morning run. I dumped the pile of clothes into my workout bag and went to work.

As the day rolled on, I could feel the urge to pull on those running clothes. It was strong. I watched the minutes tick away until a more appropriate time for a break hit. I quickly went downstairs, changed and was out the door. Much to my delight, the day was California glorious. The sun was out and the air was crisp. I tucked my gloves (which I didn’t need) into my shirt and was on my way.

I have yet to get to the point where running is as easy and natural as it once was. I did, however, enjoy the ability to breath in the air from both my nose and mouth – at least for most of the time. I had my Kleenex in hand for the periodic nose blowing.

There were not a whole lot of people out. I ran along the paved road and dirt paths hearing only the sounds of nature and my feet hitting the ground beneath me. I am not aware of any pain, however I am acutely aware of my right foot and leg. In comparison, my left leg moves along in effortless motion that is almost undetectable. The difference strikes me as strange. I hope that my right side will catch up to the left over time, even though I cannot tell exactly what the difference is.

Today, I ran in a large loop course. My run was a blend of a couple of routes that I used to do. I ran out in the Northern direction, turned back towards the office, but wasn’t ready to return at that point. The day was too beautiful to go back indoors just yet. I continued along the path for a bit longer and just enjoyed being able to run. As Garminia clicked off the miles, she reported my mile splits. I watched the pace improve with each passing mile.

My mile splits as reported by Garminia were:
Mile 1: 8:52
Mile 2: 8:43
Mile 3: 8:39
Mile 4: 8:28
Last .52 miles: 4:14 (8:08/mile)

I wasn’t sure why the pace was improving. I wasn’t trying any harder in the latter miles. I wasn’t even looking at my pace. I took in the information and happily kept on going. I returned to the office a short while later, happy that my best-laid plans had not been disrupted by the delay in their execution.

Following my run, I took one look at the staircase and made a b-line to the elevator. I didn’t even attempt to tackle the many flights of stairs leading to my desk. I’m tired, but I am happy too.

I hope your run today was equally as enjoyable.