Day 4,155—Three Weeks Complete—

 

        I count the days like they have meaning, but they rush by like a thousand leaves on a windy day.

We’re almost at the end of three weeks being back at school, and I am starting to see the outlines of a routine. I want to get to that point when I am starting to get up earlier, going to bed earlier, so I have more time in the morning, to myself, to get things done. I reflect on the time benchmarks. I need to be outside running by 4:30 a.m.; today I was at 4:32 a.m. I thought I would be closer to making it by 4:30 today, but it was 4:28 and then 4:32, so fast I could not get outside quick enough.

        My goal is to spend 45 minutes running, take a shower, and then be writing by 5:30 a.m.; today I started writing at 5:40. I was home before 5:20 and almost immediately took a shower and got more coffee to drink. My next goal is to get dressed at 6 a.m. and leave for work at 6:20. I am almost always 5 minutes behind, which is okay because I gave myself a 10-minute buffer, but I would still like to be out the door by 6:20.

I did the opposite of yesterday's run this morning. It is a solid 5-mile loop. I like it better than the one that involves a 1.75-mile trail. The short trail is more difficult to run than the pavement I did today, but I think I will be okay on my next trail 100, regardless of how much trail I end up doing. I need to do more, but at the same time, I need to enjoy the run, and when I am annoyed having to get packed to go to a trail to run, it takes a lot of the joy out of it, and I am tired of all the bugs in the woods.