Diaries I Read:
I�ve decided that running in the evenings is just not working for me anymore. First of all, when I get home from work and flop down on the couch, it takes A LOT (like, a miracle) for me to get up, put on my running shoes, and get out the door. Once I�m down, I�m down for the count. Also, the timing is off. When I get home around 5:30, it�s still a little too hot for my taste. But if I wait til 6:30 or 7:00, then I don�t get home til 7:30 or 8:00, and after showering and everything, then we don�t end up eating dinner til nearly midnight. A couple of times, I�ve run around 9:00 or so, but that only works if my neighbor Mark can go with me, because it�s just not smart to run by yourself so late at night. And also, that means running after I�ve had a full dinner, which isn�t always good, and then afterward I�m all wired and I have a hard time getting to sleep.
So the obvious answer is to run in the morning. If I could just get up a half-hour earlier, I could get a 3-mile run in before work. An hour earlier would give me time for 6 miles.
So week before last, I set my alarm clock an hour early. And in the morning, when the alarm went off, I�d wake up with a start, wondering why in the world the stupid clock was blaring at such an hour, and I�d press snooze. When it went off seven minutes later, I�d be conscious enough to remember why I�d set the alarm early, decide that there was no chance on earth that I was getting out of bed, and reset the alarm entirely. Then I�d wake up an hour later, still groaning and exhausted, and get up with barely enough time to get ready and out the door for work.
I did that on Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. B finally said to me, �Why do you keep setting your alarm so early and then re-setting it?� I told him I was trying to get up early to go running. He just laughed.
So I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn�t a morning person (no news flash there) and that I just had to find a way to make my evening runs work. Monday night was B�s birthday. Tuesday night I was just too tired. I can�t remember what my excuse was on Wednesday. Thursday night we had softball. And so on and so on.
So that means I�ve logged zero miles lately, and I made up my mind to make these morning runs work this week. I decided if I could just do it for this one week, then my body would start adjusting and it wouldn�t feel so early or be so hard.
So last night at 11:00 I rolled over and assumed my serious sleeping position while B watched TV in bed. �What are you doing?� he asked.
�I�m trying to get to sleep early so I can get up early and go run.�
�You�re not gonna get up and run,� he said.
�Yes, I am,� I argued.
�Yeah, right,� he said. �You�re going to turn off the alarm clock like you do every time.�
�Uh-uh,� I said. �I�ve even laid out my running clothes and shoes next to the bed. I�m gonna do it tomorrow.�
�Hmph. We�ll see.�
I suppose I took this comment as a challenge � a dare � and I was determined to prove B wrong this morning. By some force of God, when the alarm clock sounded at 5:55, I pressed snooze once and then dragged myself out of bed.
I pulled on my clothes, socks, and shoes, put my hair in a ponytail, and headed out the front door. And I ran.
And you know what? It felt good. It was cool. It was quiet. It was just me and the morning and the pavement.
And when I got home, the shower didn�t feel so cold. Choosing my clothes and doing my hair and getting out the door didn�t feel so hard.
And I haven�t been tired all day, as I had feared. That half-hour hasn�t killed me.
And now, when I get home, I can flop down on the couch without guilt. I can leisurely cook dinner and hang out, knowing that I�ve already logged 3 miles.
Let�s see if I can do it tomorrow too.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004