Night and Day

Wednesday and Thursday

It’s tough to fit in runs when time is short. Inevitably, this means I need to run when I absolutely do not want to (I know, kind of a familiar story lately). Wednesday, I subbed at a middle school several miles from my home, alongside Aliso Creek. This is the same creek that runs through my stomping grounds in Aliso/Wood Canyons. During lunch I phoned my faithful husband and asked him to pull up the school on Google Maps to see if there were any trails nearby. (Yes, I do not own a smartphone – nor do I plan on purchasing one soon. Why? Because I destroy phones, just like I destroy cameras). Anyway, he found that a bike trail ran along the creek in both directions.

I took off at 4PM on the Aliso Creek bikeway. It was paved and very safe. All the creek crossings were over bridges. I came upon numerous runners, adults and high school students. Had I not been so sluggish, I would have found the atmosphere festive. As it was, I could hardly move. If I had not known that I will have days like this some time or another, I would have chucked the shoes and went home thinking What the heck am I doing? I’m no runner! But I wobbled along, across the asphalt with clear views of the Saddleback Mountains anyway, determined to get in at least five miles.

You can imagine my glee when I came upon a dirt trail. My heart grew lighter, as well as, my step while I ran long this single-track, only to be dumped out on the bikeway again. Don’t get me wrong. The bike way was lovely, and on any other day, I would have enjoyed it. Overall, I was miserable during my run on Wednesday. Miserable, only to be turned around by a locked gate!

I did get in my five miles, thankfully. (5.2 miles)

Grrrrrrrrr:

Thursday was like night and day compared to Wednesday’s run. First off, today, I got my run in during the morning hours. The weather was cool. I wasn’t fatigued from a day of working. I still ran on asphalt. But my step was much quicker. The gorgeous clouds and crisp colors of the ocean and everything else stole my attention. I felt happy to run. I got in my miles (5.52) with a zero misery factor.