Moonlight

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I think it was a little less than a full moon this morning, but one way or another, it was bright enough to illuminate the running path. This turned out to be a good thing because I got the end of the driveway without my headlamp. 99.9% of the time I go through my getting ready to run routine without error so this doesn't happen, but today fell into that  .1% space. I also didn't put my earbuds back in to the charger so they were low on juice. Nothing worse than earbuds saying "low battery" as I'm trying to finish off x6 800m @5k pace with 400m recovery. I solved this second problem by just letting the earbuds charge during my 2 mile warm up. That worked and my "upbeat tempo pop music radio mix from previously listented to songs" playlist cranked out the tunes. 

But back to the moon's illumination. I've run through the moonlight before, and this time around wasn't unique in that sense, but each and every time it fills me with wonder at just how much light is being bounced off the moon. Certainly it isn't as bright as the daylight hours, but enough to navigate my run this morning without a headlamp. It's sort of frightening and exhilarating to be going full tilt in wee hours of the morning down the path like that. It's not for everyone, but it gave a little thrill to the workout. 

Also, today marked the completion of the 'speed workout' days of this training cycle. I feel like I end on a high note. All 6 intervals I hit my target and, even more important, felt good doing it. Sure I felt some fatigue, but not complete "I can't do this anymore" exhaustion. The training moving forward is still intimidating, but doesn't have the aire of impossibility about it in the way it did during my first go around with the Hanson Marathon Method. Yes, there are lots of miles to go, but halfway through and I'm feeling locked in and ready tackle the next day. I feel a little more in shape than I did at the start of the cycle which may seem obvious, but to physically experience the new reality of increased fitness is encouraging. 


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