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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

I thought that running at midnight would somehow negate the pain of running. I also thought that doughnut muffins wouldn't make me feel like a house.

I didn't hesitate a moment when I heard about the midnight 8k. Sign me up! I knew full well that doughnut muffins taste so magical because they are dunked in melted butter and rolled sugar. Pass me another one, please!

This was a race I had been looking forward to for some time because it is not often that running feels exciting to me. Preparing for races is a chore and the races themselves are simply the chore done longer with the pressure of being faster. Running a race in the middle of the night though is something grand and magical, maybe even adventurous. There are usually things to learn from a true adventure or even a dumb adventure...here is what I know now.

1. Just because the race is at midnight don't think that it is going to be "cool". The temperature stayed at 78* the entire time and the humidity was somewhere near liquid air. I realize this was cooler than in the day for sure but I was not mentally prepared for the amount of sweat seeping from my pores.

2. Hydrating, getting your nutrition in and napping before the race can't all happen in the same hour, three hours before the race. I guzzled water for two hours on the drive and by the time I had access to supper I was near overflowing. My dinner was eaten in a starved frenzy and consisted of doughnut muffins, tofu/potatoes, banana sandwich and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I actually ate doughnut muffins with every meal starting the night before the race. They are just so tasty but do not make me feel like zipping down the road on my two feet. Anyways, by the time I put my head down on the pillow to rest I felt positively ill. I don't know if I have ever felt in such bad shape before a run. Probably because if I do I don't make myself run. Thankfully by midnight most of the misery had dissipated but I sure gave myself a good challenge.

3. Mile three is always the hardest. It is hard even when you are running past whirling amusement park rides and cars parked at stoplights. Passing shops that sell dresses for 18'' dolls and stores that lack punctuation in their advertisement of "fudge knives" are only intriguing for so long. More starlight and less exhaust might be nice but racing and people watching is something different.

4. Don't feel bad when the obese old people pass you. It's past your bedtime.

5. Even running can be fun!