The short ones sometimes seem the longest...

 July 15  Plan:  3k tempo  Actual:  3.3k tempo-esque

Why oh why do the 3 and 4k runs seem as hard if not harder than the uber long ones?  Sheesh. 

I suspect tonight had a few things going against it.  One, I'm not a huge fan of running in the evening, even before dinner, but the schedule for the week made it a necessity.  At least I managed to get out before I ate but even then I still got those telltale stitches in my side.  No fun.

The wind was also my enemy this evening - holy gale force, Batman!  There were times when I was running straight into it and it felt like I wasn't making any progress at all.  So much extra energy to get a shorter distance.  Rawr.

Then there was the sun.  It had been a cool, cloudy day earlier on but this evening the clouds parted and out came the sun. And at 6pm on a mid-July evening, the sun is still quite high in the sky and there's not a lot of shade.  Which means a hotter run than I'm used to.  And it sapped my energy.

I decided to go a different direction for this short run because I just needed the variety - I'm already getting sick of going down the very same path multiple times per week. 

This is a general route I've done before but haven't in a while so decided to go for it.  Glad I did, if for nothing than the variety that I sorely needed!  There's a nice long stretch that allowed me to do something resembling tempo work so I was happy I was able to kick it up a notch for a least a part of the run, as per the plan.  I did a lot of walking, even during this 3.3k, but was able to get my pace a little faster than it has been for the past short while.  So all was not lost.

Another tempo run tomorrow and we'll see what happens.  It's the 20 minute challenge at the Running Room so I'm supposed to be going there to do my run.  I signed up mostly for the free hat and to just participate, but I'm painfully afraid of trying to do a tempo run with the half clinic. 

I know I'd just hold everyone back and I can't deal with that right now.  Too much stress for something that's supposed to be good for me.  So I think I'm going to go, in my running clothes, get my stuff, then come home and run around here like I normally would.  Or, if I really get my shit together, I'll get my run in BEFORE I get there and then can just come home and have dinner, get on with life.  Time will tell!!

Like I said before, I really don't run well with others - I much prefer to just get out there and do it on my own terms.  Me and, with all this sunshine today, my shadow.  :)