Procrastination Leads to a Run Down Memory Lane

I am the queen of procrastination.  I always have been and I'm pretty sure I always will be.  Somehow I just function better with a little pressure, at least in most things.  There are certain circumstances that I will freak out about if I don't have them planned well in advance but that's a story for another day.

This weekend I put my long run off as long as I possibly could.  I checked The Weekly Runner several times during the week to see what my other runner friends had planned for the weekend but no one posted anything. The group seems to be at a crossroads of some sort and is splintering somewhat.  Growing pains I suspect but it makes me sad.  I really love to run with my friends on the weekend and sit at a local Starbucks afterward for hot coffee and long chats about a lot of nothing (aka gossiping).

So with no plan on the books and a 10 mile run on the calendar I decided to map out a route around my town and knock it out by myself.  I planned to go around 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning but forgot that Son #1 was scheduled to take the ACT.  I wanted to wish him luck and send him off so I pushed the run back about 30 minutes.  Well in those 30 minutes I was able to talk myself out of running all-together.  I decided to brew a steaming hot Cafe Americano and rent Horrible Bosses off of pay-per-view.  My rational was there is always tomorrow for a long run.  I spent the rest of the day cleaning carpets, furniture and a few windows.  No rest for the wicked right?!

This morning I headed out the door around 6:45 a.m. just as daylight was beginning to break.  It was crisp and cool, perfect running weather.  I had mapped a route on Friday but I decided to wing it a bit once I stepped out the door.  I ran part of the course in reverse of what I had planned.  I am so glad that I chose to do this because when I reached the bike trail that runs along a creek I was able to get some amazing sunrise photos.

This nature area holds special sentimental value for me.  It is a quarter mile walk from the house I grew up in.  As I kid played in and around this creek.  I learned to ride a dirt bike not far from this point and how to jump on a moving freight train here (sorry mom!).  We also laid out scores of pennies and nickels for the passing trains to smash.  I remember rushing to the tracks to find the warm coins once it was clear. We would stand near the tracks counting cars, feeling the breeze created by the speeding trains and waving to the brakemen on the cabooses.   There was no paved trail back then and a lot fewer houses.  But it is still a beautiful place to be.

Even as a kid the water would grow green and stagnant by summer's end but it wouldn't stop us from spending our days here.  Being out there alone today I was able to focus on the fun that I've had on these shores.  Now that I am an adult I realize how lucky I was to have this little bit of nature as a playground.  I'm sure it contributed to my on-going love of being outside and near water.

This trestle provided shelter from the burning summer sun.  We would sit on the cool damp earth and talk about whatever it is that kids talk about and chew on the wild fennel growing on the banks.

All in all I had a really great run.  I was aiming for a 10:30 pace  but stopping to take all of these pictures tanked my time (I averaged 10:55).  It was worth every extra minute!

Next Sunday I will run my 20th half marathon, Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon. I'm so excited.  I've never run this particular race before but I run the route often with my buddies.  I'll be heading to the race solo and running solo.  I was a little apprehensive about this prospect.  Even though I usually run a race alone I usually have a carpool buddy.  I'm glad I got out there alone today because now I'm not apprehensive at all just ready to run number 20!