I’ve Trained My Brain, If Not My Body

I’m planning on switching tomorrow morning’s run to tonight once the sun goes down. The reason I’m doing this is because we now have an OB/GYN appointment at 8:15 a.m. tomorrow. Never mind the fact that we were just at an appointment there yesterday. The procedure that was done yesterday morning now has to be redone tomorrow morning. The results of yesterday’s procedure are unusable because, of all the reasons under the sun, the nurse forgot to write my wife’s birthdate on the appropriate form. Never mind the fact that the procedure went off without a hitch and produced perfectly usable results; because no birthdate was written on the form, those results aren’t allowed to be used according to hospital regulations.

So we must drag ourselves back to that circle of hell Dante forgot to redo the procedure done yesterday due to a paperwork glitch. It is not the first problem we’ve had with this place. Thankfully, the problems have not led to any serious complications, but it’s been enough to make me nervous about what to expect during and immediately after the birth, seeing as how this OB/GYN outfit has its offices in the local “women’s and babies hospital” itself. The place should replace its sign with one reading, “Abandon all hope of competence, ye who enter here.”

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, running. If I waited to run after we got home, it would be way too hot, since temperatures are forecasted to hit the mid-90s out here tomorrow. In fact, it’s in the upper 80s right now, too. Hopefully, once it gets closer to sundown in a couple of hours, the temperature will have moderated itself a little bit. Since I don’t have any highly-visible nighttime workout clothing or clip-on blinky lights, it also means I’m going to have to do this run on — yeech — the local high school track. Topping it off, there is a strong chance of thunderstorms early this evening and night, so I’ll need to be close to the safety of a car if one pops up suddenly. So, the track it is. I’m not exactly looking forward to cruising 20+ boring laps on an unlit track next to a spooky cornfield armed with nothing but a flashlight so I can see my watch and a water bottle in case it’s still ridiculously hot, but there doesn’t appear to be any other choice.

And that is why I’m jotting all this junk down now. It’s all about training one’s mind for the purely hypothetical task at hand. Because of the circumstances surrounding tonight, it’s a workout I don’t particularly want to do, but in order to stick with my exercise routine, I intend to do anyway. By forcing my brain to think this much about doing something in intention if not in reality, in some bizarre way I can tell myself I’ve already done something about it even if it storms and I don’t get to do anything. I can then say with pride that I’ve trained my brain, if not my body. I’m not lazy, honest!