Dec 09, 2010

As I write this, it is 11:30 PM and I am about to go to bed. I was watching the weather awhile ago. I am debating on my morning run tomorrow. The weatherman said the low would be 22 degrees. I know I just lost a few of you, because who is their right mind would willingly go running in 22 degree weather?

Well, I guess I would, or I am planning to do it at least. I know I could easily be talked out of it also. I mean why put myself through that cold weather hitting me straight upside the face in the morning. I know I will never be on the podium or win a big race. I know there will be zero sponsors knocking down my door. I know I will be a back of the FOP as usual. My PR's are only for me, so it really doesn't matter if I finish a minute faster or a second faster in the big picture does it? My next schedules race is not until March (Germantown Half Marathon). So why do it?

Well, here is the deal. I look at these types of runs as mental toughness runs. I know my big races will be as tough mentally as they are physically. Mental toughness runs can happen anywhere and have happened on even the simplest of training runs. They are just something you have to push through. They are something that when you get finished, you know you conquered something and it is a piece of training that you can draw off of when you are hurting and tired.

So tomorrow, after the kids get to school, and I come home to change, I am going out running, God willing. I have already punked out this week on my running because it was raining and cold. (I can handle cold and I can handle rain, but never going to go out in both, no arguments). I had such a good month in November (60+ miles) that I would hate to have a major drop off of mileage. So my plan is 4 miles or so in the morning, we'll see what happens!

P.S. Please, no comments about how I could run on the treadmill AKA The dreadmill! We all know it is not the same.

ETA 12/10/09: I did get up and run this morning. 23 degrees. I managed to get in 3.2 miles...