Nighttime 5

Between a lot of late night wake-ups last night, sleeping in due to said wake-ups, a 2 1/2 year old who can not be rushed out the door, and oh yes, that thing called work that takes up most of the day, running tonight was the only way to get in today's miles. I headed out after getting Sam down to sleep. My mood was not great - I was feeling frustrated with myself for being frustrated with Sam because she would not settle down to sleep, even though she clearly was exhausted. I was tired. I'd already eaten dinner and would have much rather sat down on the couch than head out the door. But, I didn't want to let the excuses get to me, so out I went before I could change my mind.

It was 7:45 pm, and I knew I would be pushing it at the end of the run, so I brought my headlamp just in case. I ran the 5 mile Highland Green loop, taking the back dirt roads first so as to take advantage of the fading light. I stopped to pick a few blackberries along the roadside - I wanted to finish my run in the light, yes, but who can resist free, delicious, fresh berries? :-) The cicadas and other bugs hummed and whirred in the trees, and a few birds chirped, but otherwise all was quiet. As I hit the pavement at the back of the loop, the sky was alight momentarily with the pinks and purples before beginning its quick turn to darkness. The sidewalks were lit with street lights, so the darkness wasn't an issue until I got back to the powerlines, and although I could have turned my headlamp on, I figured I knew that stretch of trail well enough to be able to run it in the inky darkness. I finished up the run with no issues and was happy to have gotten out and gotten in the miles. And while I definitely still prefer to run in the morning, there was a certain quiet beauty on the roads and trails tonight as the light faded around me.