Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Of course I ran in this

Runners can be very odd.  One of the strangest things is running in conditions that no one should be out in.  Then you hear them talk and it's like comparing war stories:

"Yeah, I was out there this morning, crazy."
"Oh really, remember that storm in October? I ran during that one."
"What about that blizzard last Feb?  I was there."

You get my point and any runner who claims to have never done this is lying.  I have participated in this smack talk.  Why do we do this?  I think for most, running in any weather will typically feel better than no run at all.  

There is also a sense of excitement, or at least this morning there was.  To get out there when there would be even less people on the roads.  In the snow, things seem very quiet and still.  In the busiest of neighborhoods it seemed like people had paused for a moment to stay in bed.  The few people waiting at the bus stops where withdrawn and very silent.  The cars that passed were moving more slowly and seemed to also be quieter.  Running up Power road and seeing a sidewalk with fresh snow, looking back and seeing only our footsteps, I took a moment just to grin.  For a run that had wind whipping in no consistent direction, snow blasting us in the face, treacherous footing that required purposeful attention at every step, it was peaceful, calming and centering. 

So of course I got up at 4:45 this morning and ran in this mess, loved every minute of it!

Miles trained today: 4.1
Days till the Manhattan Half: 50

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