Never Not Glad

Funny thing, this running.  There are days when I just don't want to do it.  I don't have any energy, or I'd like to sleep a little longer, or I'm hungry, or I'm feeling a little queazy.  Somehow, though, I make myself get out there and once I'm done I'm glad that I went.

Today was one of those days.  I had a long, but fun weekend catching up with high school friends at the Wright Christian Academy reunion (Cori if you comment on this post I promise to respond).  By the time Sunday night came around I really did not want to get up at 4:45 Monday morning.  Luckily the temperature for Monday was forecasted to be 90 for the high.   So it was settled.  I was running Monday evening.  Well, I was still groggy when I got up this morning.  It was all I could do to keep my eyes open at my desk.  Mondays are weights day at lunch when my running partner and I go to the crumby little fitness center in our office building and do some light weights.  Additionally, we do three sets of lunges which always makes my legs feel heavy.  As the afternoon wore on, the sun really never saw its way out into the overcast sky.  I checked weather.com, and, sure enough, it was predicting thunderstorms for after work.  Darn.  Maybe I won't be able to run.

I bobbed my head a little in a joyful fashion at the notion of maybe not having to run today.  Suddenly...  

Angel over my right shoulder: No, but that would be bad!  You took yesterday off!

Demon over my left should: It would be nice though to go straight home and lay on the couch.

Angel:  It's really not even raining that bad.

Demon: Don't you remember the last time you ran in the rain?  It ended up being one of the worst storms of the summer.

Angel: It's four o'clock you seem to be perking up a bit.

Demon: Almost time for dinner.

Angel: Let's go run.

Me: Yes, let's.

I got up from my desk feeling uninspired, yet determined.  Once I set out on the trail it was still raining a bit.  But it was the perfect kind of running rain: keeping the air cool but not heavy in the least.  The first mile felt like I was shuffling.  I didn't feel like I was able to pick my feet up very far off the ground, but, as it turns out, I was a hair under 8 minutes.  As I kept running my legs became looser and looser.  It turned out to be one of my top 5 runs of the summer.  I ran the third mile in 8:26.  From there on out I ran negative splits ending up with a 7:17 mile for my seventh and final!

Predictably, I was glad that I had gone for my run.  I didn't get struck by lightning.  I didn't fall or get chased by a dog.  I just went out and had a near perfect summer run.