Are Friday nights for running?

After a busy day at work yesterday, I got home, had dinner and unfortunately had to spend a couple of hours cleaning and preparing for my family coming over to visit us today - could not get more dull on a Friday night but never mind...needed to be done. However, when I finally sat down on the sofa at about 10.15pm, I realised that I really still needed to run, to keep up with my schedule, and also because I have a half marathon on Sunday and wanted to get in a final training run before my race.  I had set my alarm early that morning to try and get out before work but typically I had turned my alarm off and gone back to sleep!!

So, it's Friday night at 10.20pm, I'm tired, it's raining, and I really fancy just sitting down and watching a bit of TV with Francis.  There have been quite a few similar times in the past, when I slept through my early run, but when it came to making up for it in the evening I just couldn't be bothered...but this time it was different.  I deliberated with myself for just a couple of minutes, before realising that my running really is much more important to me than watching a bit of TV...and it wouldn't be worth the feeling of guilt I'd have if I didn't go out...so within 10 minutes I was changed, ready, and on my way!

I was so pleased with myself for actually getting out, that I think it helped the run overall.  It felt like I got a good pace up (although didn't have my Garmin so not quite sure) and I ended up taking a different route to usual which always makes it more interesting, and my legs and my lungs felt strong.  It started absolutely tipping down with rain not too long into my run, but as I had a jacket and a baseball cap I didn't notice it too much despite getting soaked to the skin, and ended up doing 7 miles, when I'd only intended to do 6, so I must have been enjoying myself ;)

Going out late on a Friday night is kind of entertaining as you get to see all the drunk people coming out of the pubs and trying to get home. I passed a couple of people throwing up in hedges and groups of girls shrieking and staggering around in their mini-skirts.  What they must think of me, this mental runner dashing past them at that time of night, I'd rather not think about too much: when I used to be that person falling out of the pub I would probably have felt sorry for the runner; they weren't in the pub, they weren't having fun - I would have thought they were a bit pathetic.  Now I find myself thinking that of them.....