On Five O'Clock in the Morning

This morning I got up and did something different - I ran. Without anyone even chasing me.  Okay, to be fair, I ran for 30 seconds, walked for 90 seconds, ran for 30 seconds, walked for 90 seconds until I'd been in motion for 20 minutes and circled the block half a dozen times.  Those of you who actually run for fun (though frankly,, right at this moment I'm having a hard time believing anyone finds this fun) may recognize this as the first week's intervals in a couch to 5K program. 

Honestly, I don't think I really qualify as "couch" material (but if I were, I'd be a nice chintz, I think).  I work out pretty regularly and rigorously, and my cardio health is quite good.  But I was getting a little bored with the same old, same old every morning, and a nagging shoulder injury has sort of sidelined me from my usual stuff, so I decided to give running a try.

Let me just say, I am so not a runner. I am possibly the least graceful person on the face of the earth.  I trip over lines painted on the sidewalk and have been known to fall over while standing still. And we won't count the number of times I've hit the corner of my desk, despite the two-and-a-half feet of clearance between it and the wall.

But this isn't about my running or my lack of grace. It's about 5:00 AM.  Now, I am no stranger to 5:00 AM - I get up most weekday mornings at 5:00 AM and work out.  In the comfort and safety of my living room. Five AM out in the mean streets of my 'hood is completely different. 

First off, it's dark. No, really...I mean, yes, it's always dark when I get up to work out, but in my living room, I have a lamp and a TV on. Oh sure, there's street lights, and an inordinate number of my neighbors leave their porch lights on all night, but still... it's nighttime. It's dark.

Also, apparently 5:15 AM is the time to run your automatic sprinklers in my neighborhood.  I didn't even realize so many of my neighbors HAD sprinklers. On the bright side, hearing that telltale sputtering, just before you get nailed with a shot of cold water certainly does get your adrenaline going.

And spider webs! Don't those damn spiders have anything better to do than build webs across the sidewalks in the middle of the night? Shouldn't they be asleep or something? Geez.

The sidewalk is also completely different in the middle of the night.  When you're walking along it on the way to the park, all those cracks and bumps are insignificant. When you're running in the dark while being pelted with water and fighting off giant spiders, they seem like Mt. Everest and the Grand Canyon.

Finally, and this has nothing whatsoever to do with the time of day, but I really need to get a better playlist if i'm going to keep doing this running thing. This morning I just set it to my 25 most played, and found myself running to selections from Whaddaya Think of That?  Which is a fine album, for sure, but not what I want to be running to at 5:00 in the morning.

 

Comments

[Leslie]

Yay, you! I have NOT done well with my running this year. Perhaps I need to start a program.

[Pat B.]

Google C25K podcasts. There are several sets out there that match the schedule of the program. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/podcasts-for-running/id173959170

As you progress to more running, you might notice you speed up or slow down with your music. Having a steady beat can help. Something like http://jogtunes.com/ lets you search tunes by BPM. http://runningmusicmix.com/ Gives you lists of songs in certain beat ranges.

Also, cement is much harder than asphalt. Of course, if you run in the road, then you have to worry about drivers.

Mapmyrun.com is great ... allows you to map a route using a Google Maps API. Nice to be able to plan where you are going to run, especially if you get tired of running around the same block.

[Pat B.]

And yea, time for me to start C25K again.