5:30 AM my cellphone sang its annoying tune for an early long run that I had planned in pretty good detail. I woke promptly, made a pot of coffee. As it brewed, I booted up my laptop, surfed the net. Then I drank one cup of coffee, turned off the computer, pulled a blanket off the living room floor and fell back asleep on the couch.
Perhaps I should have gotten everything ready last night – clothes, pack, etc. But I didn’t. I really wasn’t THAT tired. I could have run the huge elevation I had planned. But it was cold out. And you know what? I just couldn’t get myself out there. You’d think I was past of the age of feeling guilty over running. But I really felt badly for not dragging my butt off the couch.
9:00, the first one to wake during this spring break Wednesday, was my middle boy. I finally woke, amazed that I had slept in so late after going to bed at 9:30 PM. Yikes. (I guess I was tired).
Though it’s spring break for me and our three boys, it is not for hubby, who works out of the home office. This means of course, that it’s mainly me and the boys, that there’s little time, except when everyone’s sleeping for me to squeeze in a run. Anyway, I really felt like I needed a run. Except for floor exercises, I haven’t got in any exercise since Sunday!
Today is Wednesday. I thought spring break was going to make things easier. Actually, for the opposite is the case.
But I gotta run. SO. Today I went for a lackadaisical run. I needed to mail a bill, so I ran to the post office. After that, I simply ran some more.
Now’s a good time to clarify something. I really have nothing against road runners. I hope I have not insulted road runners. Sure, I joke and make comments about running roads. But heck, I started off running roads. Overall, I personally do not prefer running the road for many reasons, 1) is drivers (that is automobiles) 2) is there’s much more impact on the body, plus many more reasons I have pointed out in various blogs. In the end, we are all runners, road or trail. I respect and admire all runners, road or trail.
Today, on a total whim I decided to run to the headlands and ran the entire trail system there, then down to the beach (Dana Strands) and continued on through the next two beaches (Salt Creek & Monarch Beach).
Today’s afternoon run began at 2PM (I very rarely run afternoons) and it was relatively short. I vividly remember when my long runs were 3 miles. I had to push through those, even when I didn’t feel like it, for a few years before I could call today’s run a short run.
Anyway, since this was a “short” run, I hope not to spend too much time writing about it (that’s a laugh, most times I write and write and write). I will say this: I witnessed mystifying sea creatures (anemones, coral, muscles). A perfectly cool wind blew against my face, so delightful that I didn’t want it to end. The tide was low therefore allowing lots of wet sand to run upon. Plenty of pelicans swept down low, an amazing mere inches above the sea. And the hill I ran up to get off the beaches, I used to have to walk backward in my twenties in order to move onward.
A few pictures from today’s 7.26 mile lackadaisical afternoon run:
Overlooking marina from the headlands trail system:
Lovely purple flowers on the headlands
Headland trails (they REALLY want to make sure we stay on trail)
Running back up to town (through Salt Creek Beach)