who moved my treadmill?

To make things worse, the first morning I went to the exercise room after considering El Paso after all, I found the door locked and a sign announcing the place was being remodeled during "the next couple of months."

I always did the weekday runs during the winter on the treadmill, boring perhaps, but expedient, safe, and free. That morning I turned around, and went home to sulk. No way I would run after work. No way I would invest time and money for gym before work. I would run, but not if it interfered with the rest of my life. Running outside in the dark was too scary.

I seemed the decision was made for me. I had the perfect excuse to skip El Paso. But it is one thing to let go on your own, and another to have some remodeling thwart your plans.

In the end I opted for running outside. The apartment complex is large enough for a one mile perimeter. Darkness and all, a 5K was still double by running around three times within the fence. The only unsolved problem was the duel between the freezing temperatures and my persistent cold. My first 5K this novel way was on crunching ice, but most mornings were easier.

It must not have been obvious to the early risers who saw me during those pre-dawn hours traipsing in the darkness, swaddled in layers like a mummy, but I was running toward to El Paso.