Running After Work SUCKS

Seriously. I made myself do it yesterday before going out with friends. I completed 5 miles in about 55 minutes. But it just is not as desirable as AM workouts or running on the weekend.

Here are the reasons why:

1.) When I work out at 5AM (ish) the only people in my gym are also hard core about working out. My favorite is the guy who has to be atleast 60 who is always there before me. I think he does about 5 miles on the eliptical. Seeing older people still in excellent shape really excites me. I I want that to be me someday. And to have a husband that works out hardcore as a senior citizen :-)

I digress, the gym is a little quieter in the morning. No one is very loud that early. And the shared passion for exercise is so obviously in that room.

Here is my experience last night...

Tons of guys. A couple girls. There is one open treadmill that I get on and start walking. (I always walk .25 to .3 miles before I start running. My calves get wayyy too tight if I don't do this.) My calves seemed especially tight last night, so I put the machine on pause (There is a 2 minute limit for this feature.) I left all of my stuff on the treadmill, and stretched my calves by putting each foot up against the wall individually. I only used like a minute of the "pause time." As I was about to get back onto the treadmill this guy pretty rudely says "ARE YOU DONE?" I politely tell him I am about to start running. He looks pissed and gets on an eliptical. When the guy next to me finished on the treadmill, the guy on the eliptical switched to that treadmill and started running. He was struggling a bit. Not sure how far he ran. But I was still running for quite a while when he got off. I think he assumed he was in better shape because he was a guy and I'm a tiny girl with long hair. Oh Snap. Or he was just rude. Either way...I don't enjoy the crowded gym after work.

2) I am sooo much more tired. Even if I don't get a ton of sleep for some reason I wake up in the morning feeling very fresh. Working out at the end of the day after walking around DC in heels is just that much harder for me. I cover quite a few stairs during the day, so, I also think that might make my calves feel extra tight before I even start the workout. I've learned that I just have to force myself through the first 2-3 miles and then I'm mostly fine.


3) I don't enjoy the workout as much because usually I am trying to rush off to something fun afterwards. It's more of a check on my list of things to do. I have friends though that say they can't workout in the morning. They just can't get up and prefer the nighttime workout.

Weekend workouts are by FAR the best. Today I'm supposed to run 9 miles (eek!). Tomorrow I am taking a break. This will be a big indication of where I am at. I'm less nervous than last week.