C25k: Week 6, Day 1

Today's run coincided with the total lunar eclipse. The eclipse started right about when I did and reached its height right as I was concluding.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, earth, and moon line up (in that order) in such a way that the earth's shadow falls against the full moon. It's not as visually stunning as a solar eclipse (earth-moon-sun, with the moon blocking the light of the sun), which is the astronomical equivalent of you (the earth) holding out your arm and blocking the sun's light with your thumb (the moon). Still, I'll take it - it was a fun distraction during the run, and unlike a solar eclipse you don't need to worry about blinding yourself while watching it. Incidentally, all lunar eclipses are also solar eclipses - if you are standing on the moon looking at the sun, that is. This whole thing got me to thinking about the difference between a lunar eclipse and the "new moon" phase of the moon, and whether they are the same thing. Turns out, they are not: The PHASES of the moon are caused strictly by the percentage of lunar surface illuminated by the sun. That in turn is determined by where the moon is in its orbit around us. On the other hand, a lunar ECLIPSE happens when Earth is directly between the sun and moon, thereby throwing a shadow across the lunar surface. Got it? There will be a quiz tomorrow.

The best part was coming back inside the house, at 5:55 AM, to wake up Zoe and Lila. I told Zoe about the lunar eclipse and explained it to her, and she ran to the window so excited to see it. She went from sleep to awe in 20 seconds.

The run itself was great - back to intervals again for this one and the next, but the third day of the week is an uninterrupted 25 minute run: something to look forward to.