I got my motor running for a wild weekend.
It's finally Friday, I'm outta control
Forget the working blues and let the good times roll.
George Jones
I'm not a country music fan. I mean, I don't want to gouge my eardrums out when I hear it, but you definitely won't find me listening to it in my car....or at home....or at the gym.....or going to a concert. (hehehehehe) But when I googled "Friday quotes or lyrics", this one seemed appropriate. :-)
I donned my running gear, grabbed my water bottle, head lamp, pepper spray, car keys, and out the door I went.
Because of my failed....no, not failed. Unpleasant - yes, that's the word. Because of my unpleasant hillier run on Tuesday, today was back to the flat flat flat city trails.
(Better than a treadmill any day!!!)
Darkness is creepy. It's just the way it is. Things that seem completely harmless during the day, take on an eery quality when it's dark out.
Like, for instance, this bench......
It's actually pretty cool in the daylight. I think the Omaha Cycling Club (or some such group) had it put along the city trail. Each of the riders has a "name" that shows the camaraderie and dynamic of the group. "Friend" "Athlete" "Role Model" "Jokester"
But when it's pitch black, and the only light is a street lamp behind it.....the bench is outright unnerving. The light from the lamp across the street makes their eyes GLOW! I came around the corner, knowing the bench was there. But it still had me nearly skidding to a stop.
I had to use the flash on my phone so you could see the bench at all....but if I could have gotten a picture of what it looked like with the street light coming through those eyes....you'd have nightmares for weeks. I promise!
OK.....so maybe I was a little on edge because running on a city trail with no one else around at 5:00 in the morning is spooky. And the raccoons, cats and bats that cross in front of me might get my heart beating a little faster than usual.
And that guy on his bike.....without lights.
And the runner with ninja quiet footsteps....that you don't see until your headlamp hits the reflective vest he's wearing.
Yeah, my heart gets an extra cardiovascular workout when I run on the trail in the morning!
(giggle)
It was a good run. I stuck to my 2:1 intervals, and ran at a decent pace. I'm not anywhere NEAR the pace I was running last year....but that's to be expected. I'll get back to it eventually, I hope.
If not, then I don't. I'm not out to win anything, except health and happiness! :-)
The good news, though, is that my legs didn't hurt on the flat trail. It's just those darn hills that make them scream in pain and send me hobbling home.
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3.51 miles, 39:49, 11:20 overall average, Max HR 188, Avg HR 170
6 comments:
Total country fan here - heeheee. And that bench looks like it would be creepy any time of day. :) I don't know how you run, alone, in the complete dark. I'm too much of a chicken.
@ Heidi - I definitely won't look at it the same again, that's for sure. :-)
I agree that that bench will be creepy during the day too. But in the dark it reminds me of a bad horror movie.
I try not to think about bad things when I run in the dark. It's safe where I live so I'm never afraid but I don't like running in the dark, because you can't see the things you see when you run in daylight, it's more boring.
@ Fran - once I get passed those initial jumpy moments, I really enjoy running in the dark. It's like I have the world to myself.
Well, myself and that spooky bench. :-)
HAHA! I am the SAME way!! I was running thru my neighborhood a few weeks ago early in the morning when it was still pretty dark and there was a Burton Air conditioning van ahead on the road. On the back is a HUGE decal that makes it look like the door is open and a worker is standing there waving to you. TOTALLY freaked me out. 'Bout wet myself for REAL, yo.
@ Anna - Oh my gawd! If I saw that van (I know EXACTLY the one you're talking about!) I would have had a stroke...and broke my arm tripping over myself to get away. :-)
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