Change of time

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Like most runners, I'm a morning person. I'll get up and greet the sun at the end of a run without question. It's a great start to the day and usually the quietest time to run. Very little traffic - empty trails. The city has yet to waken. Yesterday, however, I headed out in the evening. Why? A hoped for call off never happened and I had no choice but to run after work. I hadn't wanted to get up early enough for a long run before work and was willing to take a chance on the evening. 

So when I got home from work, I dashed through with putting away my stuff and changing for my run. A warm layer or two in my Osprey Rev 6 and I was ready to go. And I had a chaperone. Nick was willing to join me on my run, trundling along either ahead or behind me on his fat bike. While I don't usually worry when I run in the morning - after all it's getting lighter and warmer usually - it was nice to have him around. The darkness of night is a different animal then dawn. Light vanishes and the world closes in around you. 


I changed my original plan for the run and stayed mostly on the regional trail in Bear Creek East and West. There was some meandering and a little road, but generally the wide double track of the regional trail. Even so, I was happy for my light - the light snow from on day had covered up the remaining ice in the shadows. I rarely use my Joystick on the high setting for running, but this time I was. The trails - so familler during the day - take on a new life at night. Every stick snapping made me look, even with Nick trailing closely. There was no stopping. I was comfortable running but when I slowed on the hills I could feel the gathering chill. Getting up high off Gold Camp road also highlighted the sprawl of the city.  

Would I do another long run after work? Not without company. And I'm not yet training training for a race that requires night running. But it was nice to know that I could and it's just as peaceful only different at night. 

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