Dedication, Again

It's been awhile since I've had to write an entry about dedication, but I'm at a point where it's time to remind myself to get down to business. For the first time in a while, I missed a run this week that I have no plans to make up. It was only a short, recovery run, so missing it isn't a big deal. The reason I missed, however, is bothersome for my running through this time of the year. Basically, I didn't run because it was dark. I had planned on running earlier in the day, but I was waiting for my wife to come home. She didn't get home until later than planned, so I used the excuse of darkness to get out of my run.

I need to get in the mindset that until spring I'm going to have to log a lot of miles in the dark. I wear a light and run where there's no vehicle traffic, so it's not dangerous. I just don't enjoy it as much as running when I can see. Plus, I'm still not comfortable when I can't see where my feet are landing, even though I run on an asphalt trail that is pretty smooth.

I ran a 14-mile medium long run Thursday morning. My initial plan was to make up the five-mile recovery run Thursday evening, but I didn't feel like it. My legs were tired, and I have a hard run scheduled for Friday, so I skipped the recovery run. Today, I have 11 miles on the schedule, including six miles at 6:40 m/m pace.