As you know, I have been struggling to get out for morning runs before work the past two weeks. Getting out on the weekend, no problem, but the cold and darkness of 5:30am has given me hesitation and ultimately I’ve ended up at the gym rather than running, even though that’s what I’d much rather be doing.
So, I came up with an idea that would get me out for a run before work but not have to deal with the cold and dark of the early morning hours. I slept in today until 5:30am, drank some water and had a handful of raisins while I watched the local weather and headed out at 6am. A full half hour later and there were already tiny peaks of sunlight far out over Brooklyn. Fantastic! I started running and felt pretty good right away. There were definitely more people out, rush hour is just beginning then, and I felt quite a bit more secure than I had the last few runs before the time change, when it was still really dark out even by the time I finished my run. There were more people to navigate around while I was still running along the streets, but it wasn’t too bad. I was the recipient of a few curious looks though from commuters as they got off the express bus with their large coffees in their hands.
The promenade was beautiful! I can definitely tell the seasons have changed just by the colors of the water and the sunrise hitting the waves. It was gorgeous and invigorating! Just how I wanted to start my day! Overall, I felt really good and my legs have been feeling better over the past few runs than they have for a while! My pace was a bit quicker and my 4mile run turned into a 4.5 miler because it was going so well and even though I had to get home to get ready for work, I wasn’t quite ready to stop running!
I got home, got ready and headed out the door. The only disadvantage of waking up half an hour later is that I don’t have time to eat breakfast or blog before work. And I’m really not a fan of eating breakfast at my desk. Still though, this experiment was a success (I even got an extra half hour of sleep!!) and I will definitely be doing more of these not-so-early morning runs!
How do your workouts change to accommodate the seasons?
**************
today's workout -
4.5mile run
stretching
