Early to Rise, Early to Sweat

Week of June 10, 2012:

Sunday: Long run!

Friends, I did it!  This morning I climbed out of bed at 7:40 AM, and by 8:40 I was locking my door and heading out for a run.  I really wanted to get my 60-minute run done early, before the heat of the day set everything on fire, and so that I could be free to work on other things for the rest of the day.  I have a Skype tutoring session at 2 PM and a dinner guest coming over at 6, and it would be nice to get some cleaning and organizing done today.  (Oh, Chronicle, I cannot keep up with your voluminous pages filled with things I want to read.  That’s why you end up piled on my kitchen bar, waiting for me to clip the articles I want to read.)

Anyway, back to the run.  It was humid but not hot this morning.  I was dripping with sweat 20 minutes into my work-out, and it was tough to maintain a steady pace.  The end of my run was the most challenging, as I kept reminding myself to stay strong, maintain good running form, don’t fall apart, we’re almost done!  I could feel myself slipping into tired, sloppy running mode—that sense that you are slogging through the minutes and trying to forget that you are still running.  I kept calling myself back to the moment, back to the run.  I like to think that it helped me finish my task with a little more effort.

It was wonderful to be done by 10 AM today, and by 11 I was showered, eating oatmeal, and drinking coffee.  I could practically hear my muscles thanking me as I gave them carbohydrates.  You are welcome, legs!  Thanks for a good effort today.

In other news, I’m bringing back the star chart!  I haven’t done one in about six months, but I realized that I missed my star charts.  June is off to a good start, as you can see.  I desperately need to be doing more yoga, as my back has been pretty tight from all the biking and running.  I feel like I’m in good shape, and I’m happy about that, but I also fear that I’m losing some flexibility because I have abandoned my yoga practice.  It’s time to get back on the mat.

Have a great week, my little speed demons!