MosquiDO's, MosquiDON'Ts

I wish I could be one of those people who woke up early every morning to greet the day with a smile and a positive outlook. I tried that today.  Instead of waiting until after work to run in the heat of the day, I've started setting my alarm clock early enough to run a couple of miles while it's still cool out.  This morning there were two major problems: #1 I have NEVER been a morning person and #2 it was anything but cool.  The temperature may not have hit the high for the day but have you have been tempted to run laps in a sauna?  Me neither.  My goal was to run 3 miles, take the dogs for a cool-down walk, and make it to work before 8:00AM.  Triple fail.

The alarm went off and as any self-respecting procrastinator would do, I hit snooze three times.  I finally dragged myself out of bed but the extra snooze hits left me no time for a pre-run breakfast.  Who needs food or water before running?  Not me.  I walked out the front door and ran smack into a wall of humidity.  I was covered in sweat before I even started running.  Trying to muster through the steam, I decide to keep my running on the bike path.  I thought it would be nice to run on the nice quiet path through the trees and past the lake.  Even better, the bike path is paved but there is a nice dirt shoulder that's perfect for running.  Tranquility. 

I knew I wouldn't be breaking any records on this run.  Not only was it too muggy to breathe, but I've taken a couple weeks off running because of a minor foot injury (don't worry, I Googled it and I'll be fine).  But this run was tough.  Glacial, I would say.  And the bugs - oh, the bugs.  About one mile in, a mosquito (or other buzzy-flying thing) started following me.  She stalked my whole life on the bike path.  She hovered around my ears, waiting for an opportunity to enter so she could lay her eggs in there.  I know this to be true because it is scientific fact that this is what mosquitoes want.  See the scientific equation below for proof if you don't believe me.

Well, I wasn't going to just let her in without a fight.  No way.  I did everything I could to get her away.  I jerked my head from side to side, slapped and swatted around my face and ears, and screamed in frustration.  All I managed to do was make whatever small children happened to be near cry.  I was officially slow, hungry, tired, frightening to the young, and a walking mosquito nest.

I went home in defeat with my shoulders slumped.  My run was too slow to take the girls for a walk and I rolled into work around 8:15.  Greet the day with a smile?  Come on.  Get real.  My days go much smoother when I greet them complaining and grumbling one full hour of sleep later.