Oh, so THIS is why I dont run much in the dark

Damnit damnit damnit damnit DAMNIT.

I dont normally run at night. It's dangerous for three major reasons - 1) cars cant see me, 2) I cant see the ground, and 3) I'm afraid of the dark. OK, two reasons. But sometimes I have to do it anyway. I mean, I dont HAVE to... I could very well just sit on my ass and feel it grow. But I'm trying not to do that anymore. Or at least do it a little less.

I'm training for another half marathon, this one in Providence in early May - which means I have to slowly work up to 13 mile sessions. That basically means that, accounting for safe increases of only around 10% a week, and with my two weeks in Israel shooting some time in the middle there, I needed to run around 6 miles today. Tomorrow is out, I'm going to an all-day conference (super excited, it's a product management conference in cambridge that is organized all grass-roots wiki style. SOOOO 2009.) Sunday it's supposed to snow. STUPID SNOW.

And tonight was BEAUTIFUL out. Perfect running weather, really. But I didnt get home until it was dark - so I got back to thinking about those two reasons not to run at night (cars, ground.) The first one is solved by the birthday present Holly gave me this year - a reflective running vest. It's super cute/shiny. But the second one... well, f*ed me up.

On my planned 6 mile run, I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk around mile 2. and freaked up my shin, scraping and bruising it as well as scraping part of my palm. I've labeled the picture at right because my leg is so bulbous it's hard to tell exactly what you're looking at. Gross. Anyway, good thing it was so nice out, plus it gave me some sweet adreniline, because I just felt like keeping going. I ran through 4 miles and then did another mile at the gym since it was starting to rain. People gave me funny looks in the locker room, but thats fine, I think they were envious. Or afraid I'd bleed my poison blood onto them. Hey, stuff happens.