At the crack of ... {A Three Things Thursday Post}

Five miles at 5 a.m. from the YMCA – that was the plan. And it was a good plan, too. For the most part.

Oh, and by the most part, it means I learned a few things.

A photo of sunshine and happiness, one of which did not take place on the run, because we need them in our lives.

1. While my inclination for early morning runs is to give myself as little time as possible, it is paramount that you give yourself enough time. After all, one of the key qualities of a good BRF is being courteous (aka being on time). I generally require 15 minutes to pump, 5 minutes to poop, 5 minutes to get dressed, 5 minutes to eat/hydrate, 5 minutes to fumble with the lock and 10 minutes to drive to the location. So, I need to wake up 45 minutes before I plan to meet a friend.

4:15 a.m. would have been the time this morning. Just one thing: 4:15 sounds so early, like a million times earlier than 4:30. I decided that I could streamline the process, sleep in my clothes and get up at 4:22.

In reality, I had to cut my 5 minutes to hydrate and eat and was lucky that I had a shorter drive.

2. My later wakeup was not the only reasoned I was forced to cut my pre-run snack. In my rush to get ready (because I cut my prep time), I dropped a brand new jar of strawberry jam on the floor. Want to guess how that worked out?

Note: Do not try to "save" a portion of the jelly for a PB&J under the hope that that part was not near the glass. Even if it wasn't, you will swear that the first bite and any subsequent bite is full of shards.

3. Establish a "run late" window. Tell the person/group that you will wait for x number of minutes before heading out solo/with others. Be sure to exchange phone numbers so that you can send an update if you, say, get stuck behind a train or needed more than 5 minutes to poop.

But lessons aside, I was lucky to have an easy, nice run with one of the gals from the group. I haven't run with her much since the whole birth thing and it was a nice chance to catch up ... and maybe reminded why I'm glad I'm not running a marathon.

This year, at least.