Today’s run (street): 2.5 miles

The rain and warm temperatures have washed away most of this weekend’s snow, so I headed out for a neighborhood run this morning. The treadmill, which I have long demonized, has recently become my lazy choice for a morning workout. And why not? It’s ready to go when you are. A quick change into running  shoes, shorts and shirt (shirt optional), and I can go from sleeping to running in a third of the time it takes me to go outdoors.

Why did I run outside today? Because my wife made me. Last night I told her that I was planning an indoor run and she said “The rain is gone and it’s going to be almost 50 degrees tomorrow morning. You really like to run outside, so why aren’t you?” I couldn’t tell her that I’ve become a wimp who prefers the easy, controlled experience of treadmill running. Or that I’ve been seduced by the extra time afforded by not putting on outside gear and messing with satellite acquisition.

Out I went this morning, and I had a great run. I appreciated my ability to vary speed, cadence and stride on a whim and the ever changing scenes of my neighborhood. The winds were strong and they seemed to come from multiple directions. I ran very well, but only beat my usual pace by 20 seconds per mile. It was probably due to so many headwinds. The important thing was that, due to my wife’s prompting, I had a much  better experience than I would have on the treadmill. Maybe I should listen to her more often.