Running after work

Regular readers will know that early mornings are my favourite time of day for running.  This remains the case but I have been toying with the idea of trying to squeeze in a run at different times in order to fit in with family life and my work.  To be honest, there's just not enough hours in the day!

I think I've highlighted before some of the advantages of a morning run:

• sets you up for the day, so you're more likely to handle anything - especially when there's a good dose of the Runner's High afterwards
• running on an empty stomach seems to suit me (providing I have had my morning 'cuppa')
• early morning runs mean there is probably less carbohydrates waiting to fuel a longish run.  This means you are more likely to burn fat instead and this is useful for losing weight
• it can be a real privilege to be the first person to run along a footpath on a day.  Running through cobwebs, seeing the dew on the grass and enjoying it as the wetness seeps into your running shoes

With the shortening daylight hours this is not so easy, so I decided to take my running kit with me to the office and have a run once I'd finished my daily graft.  It worked well.  My colleagues are no longer too surprised when they see me bouncing down the stairs in some sporty clothing and seem to accept it.  There might be the odd raised eye brow but nowadays I couldn't care less!

Before I wax lyrical about it, let me offer a few benefits that have occurred to me:

• an effective way of leaving all thoughts of work behind, where they belong, unwinding, dealing with the stresses
• don't need to worry about taking a shower at work: just drive home afterwards
• others might be encouraged but probably only on a 'good' day
• as I have an office job where I spend most of my time either sitting at my desk or sitting in a meeting room, it's a welcome bit of activity.  Otherwise it's straight out of the office and in to my car

So, let me tell you about today.  I had a meeting in the morning which was okay although one of my colleagues has become a little prickly of late.  Balanced against that are some new colleagues from Health and we're starting to talk about a new joint project, so that was interesting.  One of them looked like he could be a runner.  The other looked like he wasn't a runner at all but should be - and I mean he really should.  He was not a good advert for such an agency!  Then this afternoon there was a special Board meeting which I got invited to.  Only two agenda items and one of them concerned a project I'm working on so that made it very relevant and I needed to really be on the ball, alert and leading the conversation.  That was all fine but my mind couldn't avoid wondering what my run would be like after work, almost at dusk. 

I changed, put my office clothes in my car and set off for a run.  It was a fairly gentle pace and mostly on footpaths and cycle paths and I did a 30 minute circular route which I made up as I went along.  I got back to my car, all nice and sweaty.  The car park was virtually empty, so I did a few lunges as my muscles were thoroughly warmed up.  This worked well and guess what I'm doing tomorrow at 5.00pm!!!