Last Friday they held a 2.6-mile cross country here at work in honor of NASA’s 50th anniversary. It was originally scheduled for the week that Hurricane Ike came through, but postponing it until now gave them time to clean up the tree debris — and for cooler weather to come in! Around 60 people showed up to participate, and it was pretty fun. The course left a lot to be desired — it wound around the “public” part of the Gilruth Center and looped back on itself about a million times in order to actually get 2+ miles into the small area — but it was a good experience. I rarely run cross country, and I always forget how much more difficult it is than running on concrete or asphalt!
I started off fast, but was quickly breathing hard thanks to the extra effort. The course was mostly grass and dirt and pretty flat, but there were a couple ditches to jump over and one section of very rough dirt where every time my foot landed, it was at a different angle. I walked for a minute because I was worried I would twist an ankle. The last half mile was on asphalt, so I was able to speed up there and finish strong in a total of 28:11.
I haven’t gone running since then and it’s driving me a little crazy. I skipped Saturday on purpose, but then Sunday just got away from me. I forgot that it’s getting dark so much earlier now, and didn’t get home until it was already completely dark — and I try to minimize the amount of running in the dark that I do. Yesterday I left the house at 7:30 and didn’t get home until 9:30, and today and tomorrow will be more of the same. At this rate, I won’t be able to run until Thursday, which is just not acceptable. I’ve got to squeeze in a run somewhere, especially because when I’m busy, I need the stress relief! Or I could pull out my bike trainer, which is the best option for late at night. I haven’t figured out a good place to set it up in my new apartment, although there is certainly more room than I used to have! I need to get the combination to the complex workout room so I can get in there after hours. It looks like they have a decent treadmill.
Ah, the woes of working out when winter comes and the days get shorter. Why must nice running weather correspond with less daylight?
It is tough to work full-time, take on a few design projects on the side, and then try to take two classes on top of that — and still find time to work out and relax. I don’t mean to whine; I just aim to remind myself to quit biting off so much to chew.