I thought I'd try it at night.

Today I decided to run at night...sort of by default since it was sleeting all day. Lovely weather for mid-April in Georgia :) and I've not yet figured out how to run in the rain with glasses...so tonight after it dried up was it.

In the past, night runs have done well for me. The problem lies in going to sleep afterwards...the endorphins apparently rush in and then I'm awake for *hours* afterwards. Not such a great thing when you have to get up at 5:30a to put the kids on the bus. That said, I've wondered if the last few runs I have had, where I was injured, weren't impacted by the fact that they were morning runs. I know that walking and just plain living all day long warms us up to a point and certainly gets the blood flowing. In the morning it just isn't the same thing...so I've wondered if that hasn't contributed to the tightness in my calves, ankles and heels. Of course, it could be the shoes too...or, it could be just plain and simple that I'm out of shape. All are good possibilities and probably all contribute somewhat.

So tonight I headed out at about 9:20p with Marley. She's a great running partner. Doesn't complain, is thrilled to see the leash in my hand, doesn't pull the lead *at all* and is all around a great girl to hang out with. Being a large, black labrador, she is also somewhat intimidating to people who don't know her (meaning she can be intimidating if she doesn't know you and she feels like you're not in my best interest.) She's *very* protective of me, in particular. So, on my night runs especially, she always comes along. She joins me almost every time I go out, but definitely every night run.

Tonight she "saved" me from two dogs who were off-leash and just running in the subdivision. She did a great job! She's certainly earned her nap (which she's doing now at my feet.)

I did 1.53m according to googlepedmaps (or whatever you call it.) Officially I'm still working the C2 5K program and since I have been so sore the last two times I went out, tonight I backed it up. I did the week 1 program tonight to see how my legs would do. I figured the walk/run combo would be a good way to stretch out my calves without subjecting them to too much strain.

I was right! I felt some tightness around the 5th cycle (there are 8) of running, but nothing that kept me from continuing or even wincing. The 8th cycle was challenging as my right calf/ankle were really getting tight on me, much like they did on Saturday (but on Saturday they did it before I even finished my warm-up walk!) I was able to consciously let those muscles go and I could feel them relax some...enough to get me to the end.

In terms of cardio, tonight wasn't even a challenge for me. I was fine the entire time, didn't even get winded much less totally out of breath. I think I've found my stride (which is slow but hey...it's a stride and it isn't on the sofa!) which allows me to move forward yet still keep my heartrate at a reasonable level. I pushed some during the run cycles but only enough to keep my legs loose. If I held back for fear of causing them to tighten, I found they tightened more than if I just stretched out in my stride and let my legs go. Interesting.

So, this is an interesting point for me. I have had to consciously step back some in my running to allow my legs to catch back up to me after the heel and shin pain recently. For the first time *ever* I have come to a point where the cardio is not straining me at all and I'm just biding my time while my body catches up. Interesting place to be...

Since tonight worked well I think I'll continue where I'm at for another couple runs and then see how I'm doing. I may be able to step it back up a little in another couple runs. I also think that maybe every other run should be a night run. They definitely seem easier on my body, yet I see value in the morning runs (especially since the Peachtree is at 7a) since they seem to cause me to work harder and focus more.