Calhoun Sunday

I like Sundays the least, particularly Sunday evenings. It means (1) the end of the weekend (2) the beginning of the work week, and if I have to work the following the weekend, (3) the start of a 12-day work stretch. I just want Sundays to hurry up and end.
I always look forward to my late night workouts on Fridays and Saturdays where I don't have to wake up too early the next morning. The gym is nearly empty, and the few people that are there, are there for the same reason I am...because there's no one there! No kids running amok almost causing you topple over them because your balance is almost as bad with fatigued legs and heavy gym bag as the drunken tools in downtown on a Saturday night, and of course the parents look at you like you're the tool for not yielding to their kid. No soccer moms prancing around making small talk with the other soccer moms on the treadmill in front of me. No grandmas slowly shuffling down the hall in front of me (love you grandma). When I'm at the gym, I'm there to work out. It's not socializing hour. The music is usually better at night and the locker rooms are cleaner...and empty (which is the only reason I took the above pic.) Does working out from about 9pm to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays officially designate me as a loser? Not so fast...wait for it...waaait for it...whenever I do go "out", I find myself wishing I was working out instead. Yes...I am officially an antisocial weirdo trading beer and secondhand smoke for running in one spot soaked in sweat listening to remixed trance.
But Sundays...YUCK! I can't go the gym late because I strength train on Monday mornings. So I've decided to tackle Lake Calhoun Sunday evenings. Ok, it's only 3.2 miles, but I need to start training for this 5k on July 20th...which I realized today will be Flo's first day in town that month. I've lived next to Lake Phalen my entire life, which is also 3.1 miles, but I'm ready for a change of scenery. So this past Sunday, I was able to sneak in a run at Calhoun in between the sporadic weather, and was done in 35 minutes with a bathroom break. Not being too familiar with that lake I made a minor mental note so I could remember where I parked. I thought I probably had a solid 15 more minutes to go when I looked up and saw my car maybe 40 yards away. I was tempted to run around again but I was tired, sweaty and didn't want to push myself too hard too soon. I still have 8 weeks before the race. I was a little surprised but figured that since it was my first run outside in a couple years, it was nothing to boast about...yeeeaaahh...I learned the average time for a beginner runner in a 5k is about 27-28 minutes. Not bad!! This is what I love about exercising! I DO learn to like things I previously despised, my physical ability surprises me every time, I'm not as 'weak' as I think and I burned off that morning's caramel macchiato.
Plus, I needed a good excuse to buy these... (thanks Joni for paying for part of them as my bday gift!!)