Bats to Birds

15.2 miles. 70 F. 0510

I call it running from the time of bats to the time of birds. Most of my runs begin pre-dawn. Ten years ago, the bat population was greater. Now their numbers have thinned, I believe because of the bat white nose syndrome. But I still see them flitting about near the tree lines. I have even been buzzed on the commons by something small and fast in the dark. I presume my invisible friends are bats. I hear, then see, the birds awake and take to the air. In spring it is a noisy chorus of males calling for mates and challenging other males. Now, they are much more subdued, spent from a summer of mating and raising young.

Some mornings, the dawn is Zarathustrian. Today, the nearly full moon was mostly hidden by the clouds, occasionally showing a bit of its orb. By sunrise, the sky was leaden, as it mostly is in Fall and Winter here in Maryland. It was an easy run under such mild circumstances, no radiant sun to suddenly raise temperatures.

My agency is sponsoring two 5 K's, one in two weeks and one in six. This is enticing, I am thinking of running the first to establish a baseline speed and see if I can improve on the second. Six weeks is a typical training micro cycle, where a training stress is applied and maintained for the requisite six weeks for the body to adapt. I did both a tempo run and hill repeats this week. Consider maintaining the quality runs until the end of October. Can I improve my 5K time over this period?

Pondering the challenge of this micro cycle, I also realize that if I achieved a concomitant weight loss, my time would certainly improve. I'm sitting at roughly 147 lbs. and 15% body fat. Objectively, this is heavy for optimal running performance. With sufficient will, I could, dare I say, should drop down to under 140 lbs. This would put me in single digit body fat levels. I have not been under 140 lbs. since my twenties.

We live a society immersed in indolence and over consumption. Fit seniors are a rarity, given an unhealthy life style that is so prevalent that the resulting weakness, obesity, and ill health are considered normal. Advertising, peers, and a steady stream of temptation in the form of greasy, processed, sugary foods work around the clock to subvert the healthy senior athlete. I cannot escape the analogy of a righteous man in a Boschian landscape.

So, while running today, I dreamed up this challenge. It is two 5 K's with the opportunity to radically improve my time and optimize my body. The challenge isn't really even physical. It is mental: do I have the strength of mind to will it into reality?