Daylight Savings

I have been hating Daylight Savings Time. Never before had I felt such ire toward springing forward. But, this week, it has been screwing with my schedule and my mind and body.

After being proud of getting back with my more fit, less fat plan all last week and the week before, I was ready to keep the momentum going this week. I took a rest day Sunday but was pumped for Monday's run. I set the alarm for 5:30am and when it went off Monday morning, I was confused. Why was it so dark? Why was I so tired? Why was I so stupid to think that 5:30am was 6:30am when, in reality, it was 4:30am? I felt like such a tired idiot. Needless to say, I didn't get out of bed for a run. Instead, I tried to go back to sleep.

At work, I realized how stupid my mistake was and how, if each morning was going to be so dark and cold, perhaps I should shift my running schedule. Maybe I should run after work. I left work thinking, "Yes, I will run when I get home." But, as I was walking home, being hit with cold wind didn't bode well for my plan. And, I was still really tired. I got home and made dinner instead.

I set the alarm again for 5:30am Tuesday. It went off and I was still exhausted. I hadn't been sleeping well for the past few nights, most likely because I was forcing myself to sleep and wake up an hour before I usually do and my body was still adjusting. So, I reset the alarm and stayed in bed.

Today, though, was different. I slept well the night before and felt refreshed when I woke up. Sure, it was still dark when my alarm went off, but I could deal with dark. It was cold and I put on the gloves that Ken gave me for Christmas. The moon was low in the sky and gorgeous. It was full and bright and glowing and made me happy. I suppose that's a perk of being up so early--the moon is still out. I jogged along my usual workday route. On my second lap around, I saw the Asian man and his teen-aged son waiting for the school bus. The man was poking at something up in the tree with a branch. Things fell just as I was making my way past, saying good morning. He said something to me, which sounded like "shalom" but I knew it couldn't be. For whatever reason, I think they're Korean. I ran as fast as I felt comfortable down the hill of Laguna and back to the house. I could hear my breathing steady and strong, could feel the sweat beading on my face, and felt my legs kicking up and landing purposefully. I beat the cars stopped at the lights and stop signs. I'll do it all again tomorrow.