Running Naked

Thursday, February 09, 2012 · Mike Davis

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Today was different as I didn’t feel well all day after not sleeping well last night. I went home just after lunch and lay down, ended up taking a 1 hour 15 minute nap. I do love naps, but it’s tough to get going after that length of one. I had a cup of coffee; half my protein shake and waited to see if I would be running with my wife. She called around 4:30 to let me know I was on my own, so now I had to motivate myself to get out the door. As I preach over and over, I didn’t allow any time to think about it, I just headed for the door and kept moving.

I have to say, the one quality that I am most proud of is my discipline. I’m good with sticking to a plan and never giving in to my laziness. I believe that running has helped my overall discipline in all aspects of my life. The military has helped me to some degree, but since becoming serious about running, the effects of my training have carried into just about everything I do. No challenges scare me, no hill seems too big and no distance is too far. Pretty much life got easier as my running got better! LOL

Back to running. Tonight I took off running naked, okay not the nude kind of naked. I lent Justin my Garmin watch so I decided I wouldn’t even run with my regular watch, but instead just run without worrying about my time. Because I went left out our cul-de-sac, I was starting off going slightly downhill, which always builds my confidence up for my run. The first mile was fun and easy, so my confidence was high. I was still a bit groggy from my afternoon siesta, but not as bad as I feared. I motored through downtown Dover and felt pretty good. I enjoy downtown Dover and running through it always lifts me up. Going this direction on my route is a nice change, the weather was nice and all was well. Around mile 4 my legs begin to tire and the joy was now less joyful. As I moved along, I was now focusing on getting my feet up and keeping lean in my posture. The lean makes a big difference as it dictates my foot strike somewhat and gives me some forward momentum. I turned on to my new addition to my route and felt good that I was now only 2 and half miles out. Despite tired legs, I still felt okay and knew I would coast home.

I pulled into our cul-de-sac knowing that I ran just over 7 miles, but no idea what my pace was. I would guess it was around 9: something, but didn’t really care. Running naked is a great way to go sometimes and tonight was a good night for it. Tomorrow is totally a mystery as I am going to Boston to have dinner with my daughter and her fiancée. I am contemplating leaving a bit early and running in Boston, but not sure how that will work. I don’t think my legs would like running first thing in the morning, so it may be at lunch or just before I go. We shall see.

Peace!

mike