I wanted to spend some QT in the outdoors yesterday, after work. I wanted to have more than six minutes of nice outdoor time. And, I wanted to get a run in too.
Usually when I run I am so busy huffing and puffing that I don’t always look around and enjoy my surroundings. (This is designed to keep me fall-free and twisted-ankle-free as well.) I don’t think that is a bad thing, but I got myself thinking with the August Adventure post the other day and I thought about running in nice places that would make me happy and relaxed.
I was hoping to get in 7 or 8 miles, but I also wanted to run them on the slow side and keep my heart rate nice and low while I ran. It’s a good idea for me to run some nice ones every now and then, just as it is a good idea to run some hard ones too.
Of course, as I was changing out of work clothes and into running clothes I checked and was 138. Not terrible, but there was some active insulin left too so I ate some food and hoped for the best.
I left from work, and ran over onto Stanford campus. Usually I run a 4 mile loop, but last night I wanted more. I thought of running the loop twice, but it isn’t really a pretty loop and that wouldn’t really get me the “nice outdoor time” I was going for.
So I started and didn’t think too much about the route. I went where I wanted, when I got there.
It was so fun!
I did stop at mile four because that fourth mile felt just as hard as the first three, but was nearly a minute slower. Problem. When that happens, I know I need to stop and check. Not part of my plan, but my workout last night wasn’t about a plan.
And of course, 63. Bummer. I stood right there on the corner and had a gu. I stood there for 7 minutes and checked again; 103. Yay! I guess the sport beans I ate at mile 3.5 had started working, and I knew the gu wasn’t far behind. But I also used the low as a reminder to keep my effort level in check and just relax as I ran; speed wasn’t the point last night.
The second half of my run was simply lovely. In fact, I named the run a Lovely Stanford Random Run. I ran through neighborhoods I’ve not run through and in fact discovered a street ran all the way through that I would never have guessed from the other side. I ran past some really cute houses with beautiful flowers and ran past some gorgeous estates whose photographs belong in magazines.
And I ended with a blood sugar of 84. Tired, and energized at the same time. What more could I ask of the great outdoors?
