Late Night, Early Morning

Last night my son Jakeb and I went to a basketball game. A good friend I used to work with called yesterday. His son plays forward for Brazoswood and they had a game against McArthur so I went home and asked Jake if he was up for a basketball game.

We decided to go. At the time it seemed like a suspect decision since both of us had to get up really early this morning. Jakeb has basketball practice at 5:30 a.m. and I have to take him and then I run at 6:00 a.m. So a basketball game that would have him getting in bed later than usual and me sitting around unwinding and staying up too late was probably not in our best interest.

The game was worth it. The Bucs trailed by as many as 10 points but came back and won the game in the final minutes by one point. Jakeb was a chatter box on the way home talking about how good the game was.

This morning 4:30 a.m. came early. I drove Jakeb and his friend Zack to school and then went home and got ready to go run. I was tired.

Before I leave at 6:00 I normally pour Andrea a cup of coffee and take it up to her and wake her up. This morning I took her coffee to her and laid down in the bed next to her and said “good morning” and my body and my mind both spoke softly to me, “this feels good … lay here a while … you don’t need to run … just close your eyes for a little while”. I almost gave in but then Andrea spoke up and asked, “how far do you have to run today?”

“Five miles. Five stinking miles. Five cold miles while I’m tired.”

So I rolled out of bed, put on clothes suitable for cool weather running, stretched, and stepped out the door for a run. The first couple of steps were slow. After the eighteen miles I ran on Monday my calves and hamstrings were stiff. But by the time I turned the corner to head up the highway I was surprised by the fact that I felt okay. The beginning of my five stinking miles felt pretty stinking good.

I passed MM at the 2.5 mile mark. She and her husband Nathan are closing on a new house this morning.

I made it home around 7:00. It was a good run. I don’t need too many late nights followed by early mornings but this one worked out okay.

Monday run

I ran 14 miles this morning. Jakeb (my 12 year old son) rode his bike with me the whole distance. It helps to have someone with me when I go that long, just for the conversation. It was a bit warm and windy compared to most of my long runs this year.

About 2 miles into my run a young guy from our church just happened to be running by and asked if he could run with me. He probably ran between four and five miles with me. I don't think he runs that much so tomorrow he may be sore.

After the run I took a shower and went to the bank and I felt a little dizzy when I was driving (stay out of my way). I really should do a better job of refueling when I finish running. I'm all better now. Andrea's taco soup did wonders.