Backed into a corner

Somehow I end up here at the end of every week. It's Friday and I have over 30 miles to run. I don't know how it happens, every week I swear it won't happen again and here I sit. I would have run this morning but it was 3 degrees out and god only knows what the wind chill was. So that leaves me with 10 miles on Friday night, 7 miles on Saturday and 16 on Sunday. What the hell!!! Oh well, we have to get the miles in. I meet the crowd on Elmgrove Ave at 5:45, must admit there was a big push towards forgetting the run and going for beer. Someone reminded us that the miles must be done. Off we went. After a few minutes I was huffing and puffing, we had taken off too quickly due to the cold. Not too worry after a bit we settled into the routine and kept going. There was a lively debate about liking winter and being motivated. Although I love winter and prefer it to summer every year, it's getting old. Today my winter running outfit took me longer to put on than it takes me to run a mile. I'm a slow runner so it took a LONG time. I can barely recall the days of shorts, a tank and my sneaks. I'm also sick of the impact the winter has on my body. My face has permanent wind burn and my ankles and knees ache from Dec thru March due to the hard road surface. What do I love about it? I love that I run in this, I love that I can complain about running 50+ miles a week in the frigid temps that drive most indoors. I love that my physical and emotional well being is so important to me that running is up there in my priorities. Too bad it's not high enough for me to spread it out during the week and not have to cram it all in on the weekends. Ask me on Sunday afternoon if I still love winter running, also ask if I wore shorts!