When people think about runners, they often think about those “crazy” athletes who get up before the sun is even out so that they can get a run in. In the meantime, the rest of the world is asleep dreaming about how they don’t want to have to wake up for work.
I ran 9 miles this morning and loved it.
Waking myself up at 6am, I actually realized halfway out the door that I had forgotten to strap on my digital watch, but it didn’t matter because I had my heart set on completing an old loop around the N.C. State college campus, which I knew was 9 miles long. When you get up that early in the morning, the hardest part is the “getting up” part. However, if you can somehow convince yourself to make it out the door, then you’ve already won more than half of the battle.
It was a chilly 52 degrees this morning compared to the balmy 85 degree weather we had been having all week. I blasted the heat in my jeep for the quick 10 minute drive to where I would park my car to begin my run, and as soon as I hopped out of the car, the air shocked me into a jog 🙂
There’s something to be said about running first thing in the morning. You have to time it just right though (at least where I live) because had I started my run 10-15 minutes later, I would’ve been dealing with significantly more traffic than I would’ve liked (i.e. students heading in early for morning classes, etc.). But when you get the timing down, it’s great. It was a little misty out, and running through the quiet streets gave me a chance to think and soak up my surroundings. For example, I actually ended up spotting two houses that I had never seen before despite the fact that I had done this particular loop numerous times in the past! Then, of course, you have the occasional morning jogger or person walking their dog before work. It’s nice to be able to enjoy that every once in a while though…the solitude of exercising outdoors while it’s quiet…
The mountain, I become part of it.
The herbs, the fir tree,
I become part of it.
The morning mists,
The clouds, the gathering waters,
I become part of it.
The sun that sweeps across the earth,
I become part of it.
The wilderness, the dew drops, the pollen…
I become part of it.
-Navajo chant-