August Runfessions (Friday Five and Runfessions Edition)

As a runner we try and follow some sort of code that everyone says you should (or shouldn't) do.  Well This is how I'm being a bad runner.

1. Sunscreen - I don't wear it.  I have red hair and am fair skinned.  I need to wear it walking to my car.  And I don't wear it at all on runs.  And (knock on wood) I haven't really ever been burned on a run.  I think this is because I run early as the sun is coming up and I am almost never in the direct sunlight for very long.  But I hate wearing it cause it gets sweaty and drips in my eyes or I've basically wiped it all away when wiping the sweat from my face.  I know I should and I can hear everyone now saying I need to, but honestly, I don't think it will happen any time soon.

2. Static Stretching Before a Run - Yes I do static stretches.  My hips and glutes are always so tight (especially right after I wake up) that while I'm getting my shoes and socks on, I do the butterfly and stretch my hips and gluts.  I have found this help a lot with my injury prone legs.  I also do dynamic hip stuff too, right before I start running, so I'm not being too bad.

3. Running Alone - With the news this summer of three women murdered out on their run, one of the things everyone has been saying is to run with others.  Well I run so slow, and I don't have anyone that will stick with me.  Besides, I actually, kinda like running by myself.  During the week I'd rather run in my neighborhood because before work because it's faster and I can sleep longer.  When I meet up with groups, I'm always the last one and no one wants to slow down for me.  I do have one guy that I run with sometimes, but between schedules, mileage differences, and injuries, we haven't ran together in about a year.

4. Running Alone in the Dark - Again, as above, with the high profile murders everyone says not to even run in the dark.  The coolest part of the day right now is early in the morning and now that the sun is coming up later and later in the morning, means more to almost all of my run is in the dark now.  All of the runs in the dark AM are in my neighborhood and while I can scare myself, it's safe.  I see the same people every morning and chit chat with them some times (and get cuddles from all the puppies out there).  I wear several lights even though I feel like a dork.  And on top of everything else, the women that were murdered were running in the middle of the day to early evening.  Not dark at all.  And if I can't feel safe in my neighborhood, I really need to think about moving.

5. Running with Traffic - So most of the time I'm really good to make sure I'm running against traffic.  I want to be able to see those drivers, especially the ones that don't like to give more then an inch when I'm running on the road.  Well there is one part of my neighborhood that I feel safer running with traffic.  I have an out and back out to the main road and I run against traffic heading out.  When I turn around, I stay on the same side of the street, now running with the traffic.  I do this because in the morning when I run, most people are leaving the neighborhood on that road to head to work or school.  At that same time very few cars are coming in.  So for every one car that comes in there are at least 10 cars leaving.  So I feel safer on the side of the road with very less traffic.  I eventually get back to the correct side of the road, but after a point where the traffic has thinned out some.

Do you do something you shouldn't?  

Link up with Marcia from Marcia’s Healthy Slice!

 

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