running out of time

So yesterday I had to log a forty-five minute tempo run, according to my about.com half marathon training plan for "intermediate beginner runners" (whatever that means). And, I was going to get up and do that before work, but we all know how this one goes . . . right, I turned off the clock. This constant battle with my alarm clock is driving me batty and makes me feel guilty and probably has something to do with my inability to fall asleep earlier than 11:00 p.m. Sometimes I get up for morning runs, but the majority of the time I feel as though I’m glued to my bed and then I come up with some lame excuse about how I need rest so I can be alert at work, which is pretty true. No one wants a half awake editorial assistant making sure their communications materials are proofread and accurate—you can’t do this job, which takes intense concentration, unless you’re wide awake. So, more often than not, I tend to lunge across my bed and turn off the alarm.

Oh, the best laid plans . . .

The good news is that I did finally do my tempo run after work, but not before I had a snack for fuel. Usually around 6 or so when I get home I am starving! Most runners will tell you that the pre-run snack is an important element to a successful workout, as long as it is light and healthy. However, you do need to give your body some time to digest it. So after having a small bowl of cereal and milk, I did take some time to let it digest (good thing too, because it was really humid in Oak Park when I first got home from work). I finally trotted outside some time after 7:00 p.m., which would have been fine, except that it’s not summer anymore, so the sun sets earlier these days.

My bad. I started my run quick and easy, and it felt good for say, about a couple minutes, then I felt as though I was lagging. Ironically, I find that when I take a rest day (Monday), sometimes the next day into a run my body takes more time to adjust and go into “auto pilot mode” as I like to think of it (i.e. smooth, controlled pace). I’m thinking, Okay, you need to keep pushing, today is all about pushing it. Even though I didn’t want to, I did. And, after the 2 mile-marker (I’m just guessing on this time-wise, because I have no idea where it actually was on this particular route I took), I started to feel so much better.

That’s when I realized the sun was going down. Oh yeah, it’s September. Running was much easier in the summer months when some mornings the sun was shining and it actually made me want to jump out of bed all fresh and go for a run or head to lake shore after work for a quick jaunt. The sun was going down, and I was pretty far out, jogging through the back neighborhoods of Oak Park. You can’t turn around now, that’s not going to help. It was pretty dark by the time I passed through the park on LeMoyne for a water break, and I knew I still had halfway to go. So, what did I do? I kept pushing steadily along, and you know what? I think I actually increased my speed on miles 3 and 4.

Thank God for street lights, I thought. I was running not just to complete a workout, but to get the heck out of the dark and get home. I wasn’t really concerned about my safety since I know this is a very safe area (okay, I was a tad concerned), but I was more concerned about the fact that I was running in dark shorts and a dark gray tank top and had low visibility. The street lights weren’t that helpful. So I kept pushing. Actually, pushing it felt really good. And, I ended up finishing at a 9:00 minute mile average pace for the 4 ½ + mile loop that I ran, which made me feel pretty great since for me, that is fast! (Unfortunately I ran a bit less than forty-five minutes like I intended, but that was okay, considering the circumstances!)

I guess this is common sense, but when you’re running from someone, something, or the dark, it really helps quicken your pace. Tuesday's incident reminded me of another time when I was running towards something, and it happened when I was studying abroad in Cambridge: while on an evening run I sort of made a wrong turn and got a little lost in the backs of the colleges there. It was pretty scary, but all I could do was keep running until I got somewhere familiar since I knew walking wasn’t going to get me there any faster. I did find my way home, and in doing so I ended up tacking on twenty-minutes to my work-out. Phew!

I’m determined to increase my speed over the next few months, especially after this half marathon. I won’t be going for any more pushing-twilight runs in the near future, since they’re pretty creepy, but what I’ve learned just might help my mindset as I continue to train for my big day . . . What's one of the secrets to speed? Run with purpose.