http://connect.garmin.com/activity/146563068

when i went to bed last night, the plan was to ride this morning. i started putting on cycling gear then discovered that my bike's taillight wouldn't work. i fiddled with it a bit and got it to light up while it was apart, but couldn't get it to do anything when it was sealed together. weird stuff.

since i'm not particularly fond of getting hit, i decided i'd put the ride off and go for a run. i was up early, so i had time for a bit longer workout than usual, so i set off to run a loop - kincheloe's loop by name now - that i'd scouted on my bike last summer. i knew it was somewhere around 10K, so i figured i had enough time to do it.

i ran to the east along school, dropped down the hill on parkview drive, turned north on parkway avenue and ran up to maple. i took maple east to highway 61, then headed north. somewhere along i this first leg of my journey, i realized i'd left my knuckle lights at home. on the one day i knew i'd really need them, they were sitting by the computer in the house while i was running along outdoors.

i had no fears running the first stretch of 61. there's a wide shoulder there and an extra lane for cars to move over to if they need to. it's after younie's landscaping that things are a bit more tentative. the margin narrows at the same time the roadway does. i prayed that i wouldn't meet an inattentive driver traveling at 70mph around the curve. i met only one car in the mile or so it took to get to northeast 20th street!

i turned west and ran along dark 20th. this mile and a half stretch of old asphalt held the biggest surprise of the morning - cramps in my gut! i haven't had a side in ages. today they appeared out of nowhere. the only thing i can figure is that eating two gummi worms before i left caused the pain. whatever the source of them, they passed quickly enough. before i was across to highway 281, they were gone.

i turned south onto 281 at kincheloe's, a farm equipment dealership, and ran toward town. i crossed over to the "wrong" side of the road for a short stint to get around the one house i knew had a dog. i figured he would be asleep, but just in case, i put some distance between him and me. once i was passed, i ran back across the highway to the "right" side and ran on to the city limits.

it was nice to return to civilization and be able to see where my next footfall would land. i ran down main street, over the railroad tracks and south to school street. i turned east onto school and ran for home. at the bottom of the hill i hit the 10K mark. my time was 53:19. not my fastest ever, but still beats than the skinny kid's time! loser! i ran on and finished at my front door at 6:36 - late for waking up my wife. i walked in and woke her up, then went back out to walk a bit and cool down.

all in all, i am pleased with this morning's run. not bad for an old cyclist! i know i'm going to have to start increasing mileage sometime to get ready for november's 100-miler, but now is not that time. i'll hit it hard when june rolls around. until then, i'll just put in a 10K or half marathon distance here and there.