Night Running

[co] So when is it classified as night running? This morning as I got out of bed at 5 minutes to 5 and started hitting the pavement at 5.15… I thought ‘this is still night time’. My old rule of thumb was anything before 6 was officially still night, not early morning.

Increasingly as one gets more into the (slightly) crazy world of triathlon and endurance sports you begin to change your outlook on this. I mean when does it end and begin? As I ate dinner last night at 9 (after a fun bike spin class) and then running less than 12 hours later.

It is fair to say that at 5.15 there is still that feeling of night. It is quieter, you feel more alone (even when running with someone) and the space feels bigger. Its funny as it ticks over 6 the traffic picks up, the air seems busier and everything seems to wake up.

So reflecting on my 3.30 run… while I felt apprehensive etc… 5.15 is not so different. Its just that its closer to that unspoken of waking up time of 6 and if you run long (as I did this morning… 2 hours 25 minutes… all good until you stop…) the sun comes up… you forget it was so early and you join the rest of those running in the park… seemingly at a normal hour.

So what’s the point of this reflection? Maybe to say that it is weird how we assign meaning to time, when all it is, is our own construct we piece together to create normalcy.

I dunno…. In the end I guess I am just gutted I had to get up so early to fit it all in...