Solitary Runner

So, I run because I like to run.

With that said, I have to work a lot on the motivation to get myself out in front of the house. The motivation comes in many ways. Some times it’s as simple as saying to myself, “Get your running clothes on and get outside. If you don’t run after that, it wasn’t meant to be.”

That works a lot of the time.

For the longer-term motivation, I sign up for runs and let the possibility of an officially-sanction, bought-and-paid-for, miserable experience deter me from just sitting on the couch. Runs are so much better when you train for them.

I got out this morning. I’m not varying my route yet, so it’s the same 2.8 miles right now. The surprise of the morning is that when I rounded the corner onto a long stretch, there was a fellow runner rounding the just ahead of me. He was coming from the north, and I from the south.

I thought, great, someone to talk to for a few minutes. First, I had to catch up with him. That took a little doing. We are still on ice and snow after all, and I’m still trying to get into shape. I lengthened my stride and slowly closed the gap. About halfway up the road, I was close enough for him to hear my footsteps. He looked back.

Now, I know that it can be a little unsettling to be running by yourself, in the dark, at 5:45 in the morning and figure out that there’s someone behind you. I’m already into runner’s high by now, and I always try to be friendly to people when I’m out running, so I shouted out my normal, “Good morning!” to him.

That’s when he did something I wasn’t prepared for—he kicked it into gear and pulled away.

I was prepared to make the best of it. I figured with the extra effort that I had put in, I would improve my time again.

Nope. But I’m not going to waste this runner’s high—I was running a fartlek!

The run
Colder today (20°), but clear and no wind. Still a little rough going where people have walked in the snow and it's refrozen. Sometimes I run in the street to avoid it.

Location	Miles	Hours	Minutes	Seconds	Pace
Royal Oak, MI	2.8		26	8	09:20