Week of August 5, 2012:
Monday: Very short bike ride to Home Depot for some supplies(!)
Tuesday: Morning run (20 minutes)
Wednesday: Half a bike ride commute (I left my bike on campus, and thank goodness, it wasn’t stolen or dismembered!)
Thursday: Morning run (20 minutes)
I checked my calendar, and this week marks the fourth week of my morning weekday runs. I think I am finally establishing a habit of running before work two days a week, and it feels great. This summer is the first one in Texas in which I’ve actually done a decent amount of running outside. I won’t lie: it was almost entirely motivated by the hope that running would make me feel better in the wake of my break-up. I do not want to turn into a pile of mush on the couch, and morning running seemed like a good way to strive for something new, rewarding, and attainable. So much in my life right now seems like it’s not under my control, but running is not one of those things. I am learning that I can do this, I can run outside in July and August in Texas!
The trick, it seems, is to not think about it. Or to keep thinking to a minimum. The extent of my thinking now is on Monday and Wednesday nights, I set out my running clothes. That’s it. My alarm is set for (more or less) the same time every day, so I’m not getting up too much earlier on running mornings. Then when the alarm goes off, I just get up and get dressed, put in my contact lenses, strap on my watch and shoes, grab my keys, and I’m out the door. NO THINKING! It’s kind of amazing how that works.
The harder part of my new summer routine is being tired enough to fall asleep at an earlier time. Enforcing an earlier bedtime for myself has been more challenging, but tonight I’m definitely feeling ready for bed, and it’s only 10:15 PM. So on that note, I think I’m off to dream about sleeping on clouds in perfect peace. That’s what I think about now, when I’m trying to drift off to sleep.
Have a peaceful weekend, my dears.
I do so love morning running. However, I have struggled a bit with it this summer. I think it's because I've changed time zones so many times that my rhythms have been constantly thrown for loops.
ReplyDelete(I was glad to see a post from you on FB this evening. I just saw something about shootings near the A&M campus when I was getting on my train back to NY.)
I think that's completely understandable! Morning running is so much easier when you are in a routine and not struggling against the exhaustion and disorientation of changing time zones.
Delete(Aw, thank you for checking in on me! I'm okay. I feel awful for the victims and their families, of course--I think such seemingly random violence is always very upsetting.)