Iron Pol

Last night was the final night of our churches vacation Bible school.  And, of course, the last night means clean up.  After having parents in for a review of the week and a small reception, we attacked all areas of the church with zeal so it would be ready for Sunday's service.  That takes time, and it was closing on 10 p.m. when I got home with the kids.

That's late enough for me, and the kids were running on empty.  Sadly, after getting them into bed, I had to get ready for the next stage of the day.  Training.  Because Wednesday was a late night, I postponed my 10-miler from morning to evening.  Painful as it was, I grabbed my fuel belt, MP3 player, and lots of shiny/reflective/flashy things and headed out the door.

Ten miles later, I was thinking that minus a few things, it was like finishing an Ironman just before the midnight cut-off.  Granted, there hadn't been a 2.4 mile swim or 112 mile bike.  And the run was only 10 miles instead of 26.2.  And there were no cheering crowds.

Then again, most Ironman competitors don't start the day with a long work day followed by four hours volunteering at church.  Going for nearly 14 hours prior to starting a long run made finishing the run tough.

The nice thing was the run, itself.  It was cool, clear, and dark.  Those are some of my favorite running conditions.  About the only thing I would have changed were the smokers on College Avenue (can't smoke in public buildings around here, so I get to run THROUGH the smoke), and the numerous construction zones I had to navigate.  Still, it beats running at 2:30 in the afternoon.

There was one other benefit to running so late at night.  I wore my regular glasses, and I now KNOW they need to be adjusted.  Kids and glasses don't mix.

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