Spring Chill

Distance: 2 miles
Time: 17:20
Location: Powhatan to Ottawa Route

It was tough getting out the door tonight. I last ran on Thursday. I was supposed to run Saturday, but after a long day in Costa Mesa at a CIF track meet, I came home and lost all energy to go for a run. So I knew I had to run tonight, no matter what! But that was easier said than done. For the past couple of weeks we've been having cooler than normal weather. It's mid-May, but it has felt like mid-winter. Today was especially cool, and windy. Plus, I met my wife at Chipotle after work and had a monster burrito, which I knew was going to make it extra tough to run later. So finally, after letting my food settle, I put on my running gear, complete with sweatshirt, and began stretching. By the time I got out the door it was after 9pm. It was cold and pretty windy still, so I was less than eager to begin my run. This really was one of my most reluctant runs.

But I'm super glad I went through with it, because it ended up being one of my best 2-miles since last May. When I finally started running I was immediately struck by the sky. There was a full moon, but with all the clouds it created a dramatic wash of greys streaking across the black sky. Around the moon was a hazy glow that lit the road in front of me. It was all rather striking, and it preoccupied me for the first quarter mile or so. The cold and wind, though, was always naggingly there. I wasn't planning on breaking any records, only running steady and strong and getting my 2 miles in. I felt like my pace started out pretty slow, but then as I neared the halfway point I began to increase my pace, almost without even thinking. Little by little I began to change my tactic from just getting the job done to striving for a good time. By the time I reached the final quarter I was pushing as hard as I could. I wasn't able to muster a real fast kick, but my pace did indeed steadily increase throughout the run. However, I didn't think my time would be all that great. I thought there was a chance I'd be in the 17s, but I didn't think I'd beat my time of 17:22 from last week. So I was rather surprised when I saw I had got a time of 17:20. Not a big jump from last week, but my surprise came more from the fact that I didn't feel like I ran any faster. And I guess that's a pretty good sign. The conditions and the fact that I was unmotivated made me think that tonight's run was simply mediocre, so I'm now quite anxious to see what I can do on a day of perfect weather when I am more mentally energized.

I may not be able to get another run in till Thursday, and I hope by then the weather will have warmed up. Tonight, though, when all was said and done, was rather nice. In addition to my improved time, it was actually nice running in the cool night, as if it was the middle of January. I could smell wood burning in fireplaces and the air was as crisp as a Christmas Eve! And yet it's May! Strange indeed.