Run #11: Blond Moments

My schedule called for an easy run today, but that's not what I did.  The temperature had dropped steadily since the morning, and the wind had picked up too.  Needless to say the shorts and lightweight long-sleeve shirt that I brought with me to run after work no longer seemed sufficient to keep me warm for a leisurely run.  Luckily I keep a few pieces of cold weather gear in my desk at school... however, the Chewbaca earmuffs wouldn't be comfy over my earbuds, and the crazy sock-monkey hat was just too ridiculous, so I opted for my furry knit mittens.  

As I waited for my GPS watch to find the satellites the wind riddled my skin with goose-bumps and I knew this would be a chilly run.  Once I got going I felt better, but each gust of wind made me skip with a little shiver and run a little faster.  As I glanced at my watch I realized this was going to be a pretty zippy run after all:  a quick out-and-back and then off to watch the Super Bowl.

Inevitably I had to stop at an intersection, and I knew it'd be a long light so I stopped my watch too.  I got distracted by a motorbike rider who kept honking at me, and then actually gave me a thumbs up, presumably showing his admiration of my bravery (stupidity) of running in shorts.  Once the light turned green I was happy to see him continue on his way, and I focused on dodging the never-ending right-turning cars as I continued my run.

And then the blond moment hit.  I forgot to restart my stupid watch, and didn't realize it until about 8 or 9 minutes later.  The annoying thing is that (surprise, surprise) I've done this before, and yet I have not learned to either check my watch more often, or just keep my finger on the button so I can remember the start the dang thing again.

This is kind of like how in college I became best friends with campus security because I habitually left my lights on and drained the battery of my car.  It's also like when I was so distraught the night before my birthday when I realized I was finally getting old because I was turning 30.  It was May 11, 2010.  I was turning 29.

Some people might find it hard to believe that I have such frequent moments of brain farts, memory lapses, or whatever you want to call them.  Other people (most of my family, especially my husband) still can't figure out how I survived this long and hesitate to let me leave the house, let alone the country, on my own.

Back on the sidewalk I did some quick calculations on the return trip of my run (yep, that's the sound of my husband guffawing at the idea of me performing mental calculations while running) and determined how far I ran with the watch stopped, and how much further I needed to go.  I added a little loop on a side street and found where the sidewalk ends (it's not just a Shel Silverstein poem!), and then scurried ahead of the wind back to school.

It was quite refreshing to run with such a chill in the air, but next time I'll be happier with my running gloves, headband, and tights.  Oh, and it'd be nice if I could stay true to my brunette roots.

Presenting: The Gubei Bouquet 

The Fine Print

Date:  2/4/13  Time:  5:00 pm    Location:  Shanghai, PRC

Time: 29:37    Distance:  3 mi    Pace:  9:53 

Music:  Running mix, best song: "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkle