The soul of weekend runs and the Sole of weekday workouts

Sole F63 - my frequent morning companion

Today's run (street): 4.2 miles

It's more than halfway through the weekend that followed my short week back to work. The real test comes next week with five straight days of waking up at 3:45 AM. Four of those mornings will involve a run that starts before 4:00. It's harder in the winter, especially on those days where the temperature falls below freezing.

A year ago I would bundle up and get outside every morning unless it was raining. These days I usually choose the treadmill because it saves me time. Instead of dealing with layers of clothes, headlamp, etc., I can be running in minutes. Is it the same experience? Far from it. It always feels like I work harder on the treadmill but the benefits are lower. The machine might be a Sole, but the workouts are somewhat soul-less.

The weekend provides far more opportunity for interesting running. Adding to that is the flexibility to start my run later and to run longer. Yesterday I enjoyed a trail run after a leisurely morning having coffee and spending time with my family. I wasn't that excited about doing another neighborhood run today, but it was better than staying inside.

I probably overdressed this morning in response to the 34°temperatures reported on the news. The skies were dark and gray when I stepped outside so I left my sunglasses behind. About a mile into my run the sun came out and I began to regret that decision. The sun also started to warm things up and I hoped I wouldn't end up completely saturated in sweat before I finished my workout.

Somehow I managed to stay comfortable throughout the run and I even picked up the pace a few times. I wanted to run at least four miles today to hit my weekly distance target and I ended up totaling 21 miles. It's been a while since I've run at Bethpage so I'm thinking of heading there next weekend. In the meantime, the next four runs will probably happen on the Sole F63.