Experiments in Running: Today's Lacked the Element of "Success"

Last week I bid adieu to my regular running park and I was all prepared to drive to another track today to get my run in...

...but...

...but...but...there's a really awesome NOVA on tonight! And NOVA is on at 7:00 and if I drove all the way out to Bartlett then I wouldn't be back by 7:00 and wah!

So I hypothesized that if I came home from work, changed clothes immediately, and went straight to the park, I could get my run in at my regular park before the sun set and thus be home in time to watch my show.

At first, all was going nicely according to plan. I even lucked out and was the last car to cross the tracks before a train came by. The way things were going I'd have plenty of time! Maybe I'd get 4 miles in. That would be good.

Then it just all fell apart, friends. For one, I didn't have time to eat before I left, and while pretty much every other runner ever will tell you he or she would never eat right before a run, I am nothing if not an anomaly. I have to eat before I run or else I will keel over dead from hunger right on the track. This is almost what happened tonight (despite a vain attempt to deflect this fate by stuffing a fistful of pretzels into my mouth on the way out the door). I was so hungry.

Two, by a mile in, it was obvious there was no way I'd make it to four miles before it was completely dark. I decided to try for three instead, but then when I hit two, it was suddenly *really* dark and there were all of these sketchy people hanging around in the parking lot and I was like, what the hell? So I stopped. Sad, because had I known I was only going to run two miles, I would have done them faster than I did.

And three, I completed my run just in time for another train to come chugging along and this time I was not so lucky. I had the grand idea that I should drive out of my way in the opposite direction so that I could cross the tracks down the line instead of waiting for the train to pass...FAULTY LOGIC. It took me forever to get home.

Today's run was a measley 2 miles in 22:58. And I don't even know what to do about my shoes because I didn't run far enough to get a feel for how they were holding up.

So much fail today. To make it for it, I should probably do stomach crunches during NOVA or something.