At the Crack of Dawn

Today marks three months to the day when T and I will be married. We couldn't be any more excited (You know, for those of you who haven't read my previous posts and gotten that point already...) But it also means that it's go time in terms of getting ourselves in shape for the big day. Sure, I exercise as often as I can, but now it's time to push it into higher gear so we both feel and look great on our big day. So for this whole week, T has been getting up at 5:30 a.m. to go out running. I would get up just a little bit after him to walk, but I decided yesterday and today that I was going to tough it up and get up at the crack of dawn to go walk outside.


Now, normally, I don't wake up when there is a five on my clock. Just not happening, but I do this to keep myself motivated and to keep T motivated. It's a decision we're making to better our health.  So both days, we both groan as the alarm goes off, debate hitting the snooze a couple of times and then decide against it as we get up and throw on our workout clothes. Since it's summer, it's somewhat light out when we go outside, but not too much. We kiss each other good bye, start our watches, and T heads off running as I begin my speed walking for the morning. I pop in my i-Pod and start playing my upbeat "exercise mix," which is really just a blend of crappy pop songs, J-Lo, Britney, anything that will keep me going with a good beat. I watch T jog off into the distance as I begin to push myself to walk harder than I did the day before. T and I are very fortunate that our house directly faces a walking path in our town that goes about a mile and a half down the road and loops through a park. It's great because it gives us no excuse NOT to go out there and exercise. That, and it saves us the expense of a gym membership, and you can't beat that.

The sky is still a bit dark as I push myself to go farther, and I feel myself waking up a bit more and more as I walk. It's amazing how many cars you still see on the road that early in the morning, and I think of what everyone is doing, going to work or coming home from a late shift. I wonder if they think, "is that girl crazy to be out there this early?"  The answer is yes, of course. 

The one thing I've learned as I've begun this routine is that there are definitely some different creatures out first thing in the morning. T had warned me that in the winter, he had come across a fox running through the park as he was jogging, and he also warned me of bats flying around the trees nearing the park entrance. As I get closer to the park, I look up and see these black winged creatures fluttering around. I think I can add bats to my list of fears from yesterday because these things creep me out. Not sure why, but they do. To me, bats are the drunk drivers of flying creatures. Birds usually fly in a straight enough path with a strong and steady pace and a direction to their flight. Bats flutter all over the place. Up and down, like they can't quite control their wing span or have no idea where the hell they are going. That's the part that makes me nervous. They get pretty low as they're flying around, but I just walk faster and pray to God that one of those things does not fall on my head.  Luckily I'm two days going and one hasn't hit me yet.

As I enter the park, I can see the dew on the baseball fields and playground. You can smell it, too, which is a nice and refreshing scent first thing in the morning. A little bit of early morning fog comes off of the grass, and I quickly realize that I am the only person in this park. It's quite and serene, and the sun is just starting to come up. The sky is a clear light blue, and the clouds a shade of pink as the sun begins to rise. I keep my pace going and walk past the baseball fields and take a loop around the park. As I'm doing this, I can see T running towards me in the distance. He's already halfway through his run, as I'm only about a third through my walk. It's cute because it seems like he picks up his pace as he sees me approaching and begins to spring towards me, and I can't help but smile because I'm so proud of him for doing this. As we come up to each other, we pass with a high five and an I love you and keep going. I continue through the park and do another loop before heading back up the path to our house. The nice thing is first thing in the morning, I'm not actually thinking of anything in particular as I'm exercising. If I do this in the evening or afternoon after work, my mind is usually racing with the stress of the day and the items on my to-do list, so it's kind of nice to get out there early and just look at the scenery around me and think of nothing for a little while. I know this reprieve will be short-lived so I'll enjoy it while I have it.

The hill back up the path from the park can be a challenge, but I lean forward and tread ahead, keeping focus on the road in front of me and letting the beat of my music keep up the pace. I know that I have breakfast waiting for me at home and a warm shower before I begin my day. As I near my home, I check my watch to make sure I've done the normal 45-50 minutes before I go inside. It's only 6:30 a.m., and I've already accomplished something. It's a good feeling, and I'm on a high as I begin my day.   I think "today will be a good day." 

And let's hope it is!  Three months to go, T! I love you!