By some strange happenstance I awoke this morning at 5:11. I had to use the bathroom, and then I realized I couldn't hear the pitter patter of ran on the windows. My ears are very sharp, but I put my ear to the pane to be sure. Nope, no rain. 5:11 was early, and we'd gone to bed late. But I knew I would run as soon as I put my ear to the glass. I was up, and even if it had been raining, I knew I'd go out.
My pre-run meal was more of an experiment than anything. I'd read that chocolate milk was an excellent pre or post run fueler, which excited the child in me. However, we did not have any chocolate. So I settled for 3 oreos and a bit of extra milk just to finish off the jug. I filled my water bottle, but rather than carry it I left it near the curb because when it's still full it is a pain to heft around.
I'd never run before sunrise. The sky was inky blue black and the streetlights were on. The world was quiet and still. I've been reading Zen and the Art of Running, so I was hoping it would help me on my run. I thought it looked an awful lot like night running, but soon I began to see that it was really quite the opposite. The sky was dark yes, but the velvety blue black gave me a new shade to look at every lap, once I took the time to notice. And once I noticed, I couldn't stop noticing. And it was beautiful.
I realized I could look much further ahead in the coming daylight. At night I see by puddles of streetlamp light, moving like a frog from one to the next. In the day I can see down the street and around to the second half of the loop. At the beginning of the loop I could see almost the entire track, which made it look much smaller. I was sad to see the lovely shade of dark blue go, but as the sky lightened I could see more detail in the tree line. In the grey overcast morning no longer were they black slightly blurred silhouettes, but green trees with distinct leaves and branches.
And soon the world was waking up. Cars and drivings were coming to life. A little boy was on his bicycle, another little boy was out with his adorable puppy. I apologized to this boy because the puppy was very keen to follow me. I jumped at the deep bark of the same dog whose first bark always startles me. The same children whose presence bothered me in the afternoon, were a welcome sign of life and progression, in the morning. For a moment I was annoyed at their appearance and refusal to move to one side of the street, but it was fleeting. Even among them I began to notice things. One girl was already on her cell phone, I felt bad for the young boy who was carrying a Red Bull, not a quality breakfast. They were a sign of the post dawn morning and of fall.
I finished in 3:21:38, or about 21:38 slower than I wanted to. But the important thing is I finished and I finished feeling better than I did when I ran 9 miles or 10 miles. I am a bit sore, there were kinks along the way, and I slowed down considerably around the last 3 miles, but it was not as difficult as the previous 2 long runs.
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