Thursday morning

So my running buddy Danica told me on Sunday that she would not be available to run again until Wednesday morning. Scheduling problems.

Wanting to keep the momentum going, I thought I’d be good for Wednesday morning, but then I remembered that on Tuesday night I was playing in a poker tournament at my friend Jimmy’s house with 28 other guys. The game usually runs long and I knew I would not be up for a 6:00 run the next morning.

So I texted Danica and suggested a Wednesday night run.I was startled by her response.

To this suggestion, she was even more emphatic - a hard no.

So I did not run on Wednesday, but did get out on Thursday morning. As we walked to the starting point at the entrance to the neighborhood, I teased her about her animus against night time exercise.

“I think I’ve only run once or twice at night in all these years,” she said. “When I get home, I don’t leave the house. We just watch TV or read.”

We debated the merits of exercising after dark, and she emphasized, “That’s the only time I get to spend with my husband.”

I understood that. Now that my kids are out of the house and I’m retired, the only time I see Lisa is when she gets home from work, and I feel bad when I’m out playing cards, leaving her home alone all night. (In my defense, I made $535 in Tuesday night’s tournament. I should buy her some flowers.)

So, knowing I was beat, I made a strategic retreat in this discussion and we talked the rest of the run about television shows worth watching. Our consensus picks: The Righteous Gemstones, Schitt’s Creek, and The Good Place.

Another loop - and we’ll try again tomorrow!

P.S.  Note that the second mile was a little bit faster than Sunday’s second mile.  Progress!