Cold Motivation

Bundled up and ready for
cold weather running!

I consider myself a pretty dedicated runner. I don't slack very often, but today had me standing at the door reaching for excuses.  The thermometer read 24 degrees this morning. We didn't get snow like my northern friends did, but everywhere had a coat of frost/ice.  I got the girls off to school and then wasted time busied myself on Facebook. Thankfully, I have many motivating friends in my news feed. Somehow I dragged myself upstairs to get dressed. The only excitement being that I get to wear some of my long lost winter attire...

I'm not new to winter running, but it's been a good 10 months since I've run in sub-30 temperatures. I could hear and see the wind whipping our holiday decorations around and knew that would make a run tough. There is only so many times you can adjust a ponytail in procrastination... As I stepped outside, the mailman came. Yeah, another distraction! My Runner's World and Running Times magazines had arrived. All signs kept pointing me out the door. Sigh. I took a deep breathe and set out for some miles...

I'm fairly motivated right now by my 2012 yearly goal of 1500 miles. I have 76 miles yet to run... and only 21 days to finish. I need 3.6 miles every day for the rest of December. Not out of my reach, but it's a goal in need of my attention.

1424 in the bank, 76 to go!

As I trotted down the road, the wind burnt my cheeks and thighs. I warmed up eventually and by the second mile, I was back to my normal delirious state of "Running is the best thing ever!"  My thoughts drifted to my next race... Little Rock Marathon on March 3. It seems so far away and yet less than 3 months to train for my fourth marathon. Little Rock means a lot of miles in the snow and cold... literally. My 20 milers will fall in late-Jan/early-Feb, the coldest temps and typically the most snow here.  My only conclusion today was that Santa better bring me warmer running tights...

As usual, once I got into my run, I went further than anticipated. I ended just shy of 5 miles this morning. I finished with some yoga stretches and my #plankaday. I have been planking for ten straight days now... and delighted with how much stronger I've already gotten. I started December 1, barely squeaking out a 1:37 plank. (I do them fully extended in push-up position.) Today, I hit 2:45!

Pick One... You can do it!

My buddy Erich sent me a '12' challenge today... Did you know this Wednesday's date is 12-12-12?  A cool date like that deserves a run celebration!!  Pick your distance and go TWELVE. Comment below if you're IN for the Pick Twelve Challenge. If your schedule is flexible, start your run at 12:12 pm!