Type A running

Being able to run before beginning my workday is pretty much unheard of these days. Even if the sun were out at 6 am, I would still be pushed to get BoBo dropped off at the high school on time. Generally, our morning flight pushes back from the house at 7 am sharp. But the kids were out of school today for a teacher “in-service day.” I don’t know what the elementary teachers will be doing, but I expect that the high school teachers are busy updating the final grades as final exams finished up yesterday. That’s of no significance here, except for the fact that it was a childless morning. I was on the highway, heading towards the office, at 6:30 am.

I lumbered up the stairs with my laptop computer, purse, and workout bag. I was already dressed in my running wear and just waiting for the sun to lift it’s head from the pillow and turn on the light for me. This gave me a few minutes to dock my computer, boot it up and check my emails. As the sky was beginning to fill with light, I grabbed my bag and brought it to the locker room. I was out the door to experience the crisp morning chill on a lovely Friday morning.

With 5-6 miles planned, I choose an out and back route that would allow me to decide my mileage for today later in the run. It was too early for decisions bigger than this. I had told Garminia the planned 8:45-9:00/mile pace, but being the Type A person that I am (at least where running is involved), I wanted my usual mile splits. I hadn’t programmed Garminia properly so that I could get this information from her. I also didn’t want to wrestle with the reprogramming required to appease my Type A needs, so we just began the run – like any other day.

What a great way to begin my day. With the sun just rising, I ran out the driveway a few minutes later than I usually leave my driveway at home. I ran past a few people who were arriving for their workday, but I didn’t feel a bit guilty. I felt great.

The run itself was uneventful. I didn’t come upon many people as I ran and tried to keep to the planned pace. A few of my miles were slightly slower than 9:00/mile. I tried not to get too wrapped up in my tardiness at hitting my mile, because I know that the satellites can affect Garminia’s report. I do have a Type A mindset though, so I *had* to pick up the pace to achieve the final average pace within the specified range. Since I didn’t have to sprint to get there, I think coach will forgive me to for having the two miles slightly slow followed by two mile slightly fast. Keeping pace is an art that, in spite of my blog title, I am still working on.

Mile 1 ( 8:58 )
Mile 2 ( 9:09 )
Mile 3 ( 9:07 )
Mile 4 ( 8:44 )
Mile 5 ( 8:43 )
Mile 6 ( 8:46 )

After running, I felt prepared to attack my Friday. It’s just one more work day until the weekend; I am looking forward to it.