I am not running on Friday night's anymore. I got off this week and my running days were all one behind, which put me at running 5 miles on Friday night after work. Who REALLY wants to do that??
But I put on my Lotta Breeze Capris and tank top and was out the door. It was hard. My mind wasn't there and my legs were tired. What was most disturbing was that for the first time I thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to be the one girl running alone through town in the dark on a Friday night. This was the first time I had an actual uneasy feeling about it. Perhaps it is because it was a warmer night and more people were out. Seems like once it warms up that's when trouble starts popping up around time. And since I still have those boys laughing at me fresh in my head, I wondered what did they 10 years older counter parts have going through their hands that night. I mean I wouldn't be able to defend myself against two guys in their late teens or twenties, or older. So I hit some hills heading home and decided to just finish it off at 3 miles. I figured that was better than pushing it and pushing my luck. In a year and a half of running in the dark, this is the first time I had a feeling I shouldn't be out there. I thought it would be safe to go with my gut and get home.
In the end it was 3 miles at a 10:28 average pace. It felt a lot slower than that. I actually even walked for a few seconds near the end. I'm not letting this one get me down there. I have 11 miles tomorrow, and I'm going into it with a very positive attitude!
Safety first, chick!!!
ReplyDeleteBig 11 tomorrow! You can do it. When I go more than 10, I carry a drink or loop past my house for a Gu halfway thru.
ReplyDeleteI've been using my new water bottle on these long runs -- I LOVE it!! And it has a little pouch - so I've put little PowerBar gels inside. If I went by my house there's no way I'd keep going. I'd crash in the front yard! :)
ReplyDeleteWay to stay positive! Yes, take some water for sure! I'm the same way...if I came by my house, it would be all over.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you need to carry pepper spray for night time runs. I carry it on my early morning runs and we always feel so safe. and I know it works because my 11 year old sprayed it in her eyes and it was horrible.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely use your gel around my 5 so you have the energy for the end:) Good luck you will do awesome. Can you believe that it is 2 weeks until the Princess half?
Yes, safety first!! I should have Josh send you some OC spray. It'll eff somebody's world up if they try to mess with ya :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed - no more running in the darkness.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just have to listen to your gut.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how you did it anyway - I'm too scared to run by myself at night. I had a creepy incident while walking by myself at a state park in daylight while in college and I'm always extra cautious now. Probably too much so. Glad you listened to your intuition.
ReplyDeleteAlways trust your gut!
ReplyDeletep.s. I'm way behind on my blog reading too, so now you'll get random old comments :)