Running at Moonset

This morning I did not feel very good when the alarm went off at 4:29. My throat was sore and my head hurt a little, but I was planning to hit the hard hills of Cecil Ashburn with my friend, Kristi, and I did not want to miss out on that.  It was also the second cool morning this week and it just feels like a waste not to get out and enjoy it.

It was dark when we started out, and I made a mental note to wear my blinky lights the next time we ran this course.  Only a few weeks ago it was completely light at 5:15, but this is slowly beginning to change.  As we ran, however, it gradually became lighter and the sunrise promised to be a beautiful one.  Running Cecil Ashburn is hard (for me), but the views from up there make it so worth it.  As we climb higher and higher, we can see much of Huntsville, all the way to the Saturn V rocket and the testing facilities on the arsenal.  We can also see the rise and fall of the hills and valleys around us, and with a backdrop of a sunrise, it was quite lovely.

When we reached our turn-around point at mile 4, we realized we'd be turning before we actually got to see the full sunrise.  This was disappointing, although we would have some beautiful views on the run back.  Mile 4 in it's entirety is a climb.  Only a few short weeks ago, it was a climb with the full sun on our backs, which was incentive for me to hurry and get to the top (although I don't know if I'd call my shuffling pace up that hill "hurrying").

Once we turned and began our climb, the moon was before us. It was full and bright and big.  Despite the growing light of the sun, it held on to its own brightness.  I figured if I was that beautiful, I would want to stay up past my bedtime as well.  I kept my eye on the moon for the rest of the run.  It seemed to get bigger and fade a little bit, but it was still there as we finished our 8 miles and I got in my car to drive home.

My head still hurt, and I was so tired I could have closed my eyes on the drive home.  I began to long for my first cup of coffee as I thought about the long day ahead of me with work followed immediately by class.  Still, I would not trade those 8 miles for a few more hours of sleep.  Seeing the sunrise and the moonset during my early morning run with Kristi was worth it.