Yesterday after work, I was feeling seriously ambitious. I'd been able to knock a lot of work-related things off my to-do list during the day, and could afford to take a little more time for myself last night. I had to teach Jazzercise at 5:30. So, I had almost two hours to kill.
That morning, feeling ambitious about my day. I'd packed running clothes. When I walked out of the house, it was overcast, cold, and rainy. Perfect day to snuggle with the covers... not the perfect day to take off for a run. At some point, I convinced myself that I would run inside on the dreadmill.
One of the things I dislike about my classroom is that it doesn't have windows. I know that seems trivial, but there is something incredibly odd about literally not having a clue what is happening outside of the cement walls of my room. In the department office where I eat lunch, there is one window... it looks directly onto the roof of the school. The view is not so awesome, but at least I can see what the weather is doing.
Low and behold, when I walked out of work yesterday, it was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, there was a good breeze, and it was mid-60s. A run outside would have been MORE than feasible.
And yet, I CHOSE to go to the gym and hop on the dreadmill. I CHOSE to go on the machine that takes me nowhere.
I think, maybe, I just wanted to be in a place yesterday where, for a little while, I didn't have to think. Running outside, while wonderful, forces me to think. Which way do I want to go? Am I running fast enough? What IS that in the road ahead of me? Are there cars swinging too close? How many miles am I going to do? Did I just get a rock stuck in my shoe?
Yesterday, for whatever reason, the dreadmill offered me a blissful brain break, something I'd been craving. I turned on the machine, started at the TV, listened to my iPod, and got totally lost in the run. Before I knew it, four miles had passed, and it hadn't even been a struggle. It was a weird reprieve from the insanity of the week thus far... one that I desperately wanted.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Glad you enjoyed the dreadmill, I'm still going for "outside" as long as physically possible! I live in Mishawaka about a mile west of Capital. My last 20 mile run took me to downtown Elkhart for my 10 mile turnaround point. I had a 20 miler to do last Sunday & running to downtown Elkhart just didn't feel like what I wanted to do so I did laps around my neighborhood...12 laps to get in my 20 miles! The people having a garage sale around the corner probably thought I was crazy long before I quit, lol! Sounds like we were in similar modes but no dreadmill for me.
ReplyDeleteI hear you -- normally, I'm an outside girl too! I think I just needed to totally zone out (traffic and elements included!). LOVE that you did 12 laps around your neighborhood! I remember before my half it looked like rain, so the weekend I had to run 10, I stayed in my neighborhood too! Literally, almost ten laps around... I'm convinced the neighbors thought I was a nut job, but I didn't want to be miles away if it started pouring!
ReplyDeleteHow's your body feeling? I hope all is well and you're getting marathon ready! So exciting!