I Found A Reason To Workout At Night

This morning I woke up early, checked the temperature for the day, and rolled over and went back to sleep. Because the weather was supposed to be almost 70 degrees, my plan was to wait until after work to get my workout in. Now, I know I just said that I like working out in the morning better, but I just had to take advantage of this warmer weather.

All day long I just had ants in my pants wanting the work day to be over so that I could head home and get outside! Finally, 5:30 rolled around and I headed home to get ready for my workout. Walking home was so nice, but I definitely hurried so that I could start working out before it got to be too dark.

I knew I wanted to go running in the park. It's really well lit and I knew that there would be a lot of people out since there are a lot of runners still getting ready for the marathon next weekend. At first I was thinking that I would run up to the 102nd Street Transverse and then back home, but that's about a 5 mile trip and I haven't been running that much recently, so I didn't want to press my luck by increasing the mileage too much. I knew I had to figure out another plan.

I headed off to the park wearing only a tank top & shorts. This seemed crazy to me since last weekend I was decked out in full winter gear with layers and the whole nine yards, but I'm not one to complain about warmer weather, so I was quite happy. Once I got to the park, I realized that I should run clockwise and head north first. Most people in the park run counter-clockwise (which, according to all the signs, is technically the wrong way) so I was definitely running against traffic. Part of my plan in going north was that I knew that there was that patch along the West Side where the lights are out and I figured I'd rather run there while it wasn't quite all the way dark yet.

I headed north and decided that I'd cut across the bridle path at 86th Street to cross over to the East Side and head back towards home. On my way there, I did take one 10 second walking break after running for a little over 10 minutes. I didn't feel too bad about it. I knew I just needed to catch my breath and then I'd be fine. Once I got closer to the bridle path, I realized that the bridle path wasn't the best plan. It's not covered with street lights like the other main paths and there are a lot of ruts in the path, so I ended up running along the bottom of the reservoir instead.

Somewhere along the reservoir path (about 15 minutes in), I really started to get into the groove of running. I haven't felt like that in a long time. I knew I wasn't going that fast, but I felt really good running. I was reminded how hateful the treadmill is and how I really should make sure I'm running outside where I actually enjoy it instead of on the treadmill. Because I'm doing this weight lifting book right now, it's a lot easier to just do my cardio at the gymnasium, but I think on the off days, I might try running outside more.

By the time I had been running for 25 minutes, I felt like I could run forever and I actually considered making the run longer. But, I knew I should stick to my original plan of not going too far too soon, especially since I haven't been running recently (although that has been on the treadmill). I finished up strong and walked home.

When I got home, I tried out something new that we bought: Muscle Milk Light! I had tried it before at the NYC Triathlon Expo and then I bought some of the ready-made stuff while I was on vacation in August, but I had never had the powder before. It's delicious. It is an awesome post-workout treat in my opinion. I had my treat, hit the shower, and then made dinner. I probably would have been happy to have 4 more glasses of Muscle Milk instead, but that doesn't make for the most balanced meal.

Time: 35:28
Distance: 3.40 miles
Pace: 10:25/mile
Calories: 474
Maximum HR: 189
Average HR: 176