#Run this Year 2015! February summary

Saw him this morning on my run. He may even have waved in solidarity...

For the Chicago area, this has been the coldest February and the snowiest February on record. I know other parts of the country have been affected too. My Facebook feed is full of posts from friends who are struggling to meet their running goals and/or train for races, including Boston. This winter has tested all our resolves. How did I do with my goals this month?

While I continued to train for what I hope is a sub-2 half marathon, the half marathon I'm training for has changed. Because of continued mama drama at my house, I pulled out of the Sarasota half marathon and cancelled the first half of my trip to Florida. This was a difficult and heartbreaking decision for me. I've had my eye on this race for 3 years. But putting my priorities in line was more important, and my son comes first. However, I didn't want to let all that training go to waste, and so I found a local half marathon on March 14, the same weekend as Sarasota. The silver lining is that 2 of my friends, my tribe, were planning on running it, and so I'll be in good company. I've got Sara riding down with me to keep me company. I won't lie, though, I'm certainly not as excited about this one as I was about Sarasota. Maybe next year...

I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders or at least it seems like it....still sore 3 days later...

Anyways, my training continues to be a bright spot in what was otherwise a challenging month for me. Becky and I completed my heavy lifting cycle and now she has had me doing CrossFit intervals. Lots of burpees (my nemesis) and time on the rower. The hardest thing she's had me do was lunges with a 50# sack of shit  something on my shoulders. As I write this, I'm still feeling pain in my glutes. My foam roller and I have been inseparable the last couple of days. But I'm not complaining. My mile splits on all my runs have been fast, my hamstrings have been cooperative, and I've been finishing my runs with a smile on my face, even in spite of the cold.

Lots of snoga this month. Half moon on the run.

For the month of February, I also participated in the #TaketheLeap 30 day yoga challenge. Similar to a running streak, I've done and posted a yoga pose every day. This has been really fun for me, and it's been nice to see the pictures of myself in various poses, since I never have seen myself doing yoga. Some are prettier than others... Some of my friends want to continue the streak, but it has been challenging at times to get the poses in and posted, and so I'm on the fence. I found another yoga challenge,  this one on instagram, 30d of handstand prep, sponsored by Alo, and that might be kind of fun. I will continue with my weekly yoga session though.

The blog continues to grow! This month I received news that I was accepted as an ambassador for Girls Gone Sporty! And even better news, I was contacted by The Active Times to be a featured blogger and maybe write some articles for them. I'm so excited about this opportunity. I also was featured on Another Mother Runner--not once but twice, once for a story I submitted about breaking up with a unwanted running partner and for my frosty running selfie that I posted in one of their weekly piles of miles posts on Facebook. Writing is my passion, and I'm really thrilled to have all these opportunities coming my way. I also launched the Taking the Long Way Home Book Club and am really happy about the response. The linkup will go live March 14. Have you picked up the book yet? Click on the link to learn more.

My boys and me. Hoping for some more magical sunsets on our trip this year.

But in spite of all this good news and good running and good training has been the black cloud of the mama drama looming over me. I've written a little bit about it, actually, I write about it almost every time I post because it's always on my mind. He's on my mind at work, when I see new parents with their infants and I think about all the dreams they have for their child. I think about him when parents of toddlers share their struggles with me--oh, I'd go back to those days in a heartbeat. I look at him and my heart just breaks. Do you know that feeling? As mad as I get at him (and let's just say those slam balls Becky gives me to do are therapeutic), I just love him all the more. All I have to say is that raising teenagers is tough. Some kids are easy and just move through adolescence without any major issues. And others struggle...with self esteem, acceptance, trying to find their place in this very challenging world. As his parents, my hubs and I continue to take this challenge day by day, and stay optimistic that he will find his frontal lobe and start thinking logically. Either that, or I'm going to call the neurosurgeon and see if he's willing to do a transplant...

Goals met. Miles total 102; YTD 209

So that's February! Overall, it's been a productive month. I'm hoping for a PR in 2 weeks...and then we head to the beach for some R and R and R. Rest, relaxation, and running!

How was your month? How are you doing on your goals?

I'm linking this post up with Tara at ReadingNRunning for her Weekend Update. I'm looking forward to reading her LR Marathon Race Report! Head on over and check it out.

For geeks only

As part of my job as a pediatric nurse practitioner in a busy teaching practice, I get the opportunity to attend weekly Grand Rounds. This is a one hour educational lecture, presented by a resident or attending, with a different topic every week. I love to learn and Grand Rounds is always really interesting. This past week, I attended a lecture by Philip Skiba, DO, PhD, MS, who is the director of our Sports Medicine department. The topic was Assessing Sports Performance. Dr Skiba has done a lot of research and lecturing on this topic. He's also coached many elite and olympic level athletes. So for today's blog post, I put on my science nerd hat and share some of the highlights of his talk--this was a topic near and dear to this runner's heart. Besides, it was fascinating.

Nope!

Dr Skiba talked a lot of performance of runners. Since this was a medical lecture, the information was pretty scientific. He used a lot of graphs and mathematical formulas. I even heard the term Krebs cycle tossed around! That was a nightmare blast from my biochemistry days! Who knew that I would need to remember that again? But he also talked a lot about some important concepts behind why we train the way we do. I'm going to try to sum it up here without getting too technical, and to prepare this post, I had to do a lot of background reading. Hopefully, I'm able to simplify it enough that it will all make sense and you can apply some of the concepts to your training! I also thought that his lecture helped me understand why we runners train the way we do, and why the work Becky has me doing, in the form of heavy lifting and interval training, is really having a positive impact on my running.

Dr Skiba introduced the concepts of critical power and VO2max. Critical power is the rate at which you can maintain your pace without exhaustion. Some of us refer to this as endurance. If you are very aerobically fit, you will have a high level of critical power. Critical power is a number that can be determined in a lab. Elite athletes train using knowledge of their critical power. If you run beyond your critical power, you start to become fatigued and your performance starts to suffer.

VO2max, also known as aerobic capacity, is the ability of the body to utilize oxygen. Having high critical power and high VO2max means you you can perform at a high level without exhaustion, without going into an anaerobic state (produce lactic acid), or become fatigued. Athletes who have a high VO2 max can perform at a higher level because their bodies have the ability to produce more energy. This explains why a lot of endurance athletes use the banned substance, epo, because this substance helps increase red blood cells, which carry oxygen in the body. More oxygen means increased aerobic capacity. BTW, the maximum allowable hematocrit for professional cyclists is 49.5%. You and I are probably sitting around 36%.

Lactate threshold is another determinant of performance. Lactic acid is a byproduct of metabolism, and begins to build up when you're working hard. Lactate threshold is the level of exercise at which lactate begins to accumulate in the blood. The more fit you are, the longer you can perform at lactate threshold. Lactate threshold is usually about 80-85% VO2max for fit athletes. Lactate threshold is probably the best predictor of performance. And even though conventional wisdom says accumulating lactate is bad, that isn't true. The body can use lactate for fuel and it does during endurance activities. However, increasing lactic acid levels does lead to fatigue.

Economy also plays a role in performance. Running economy is defined as the volume of oxygen consumed at submaximal speeds. An athlete who has a very efficient stride will be able to outrun another athlete who has a higher VO2max, simply because he is using less energy. Body weight is another factor that affects performance. Increased body weight has a negative effect on your VO2max. Also, the heavier your legs are, the lower your running economy. You will run slower than you would with a lower body weight.

There is only so much a runner can do to improve VO2max and critical power. Most of that is genetically determined. But there is some room to improve both parameters. In fact, newer, less conditioned runners can show much more dramatic improvement in these areas that experienced runners. In addition, some of us have more slow twitch muscle fibers (good for endurance events) and some have more fast twitch muscle fibers (good for sprinters). But because no one has 100% of either type, there is some evidence that training can alter this as well. One thing you can really have an impact on is your lactate threshold, though, and that is the focus of a lot of training plans.

Slow vs fast

I need to mention here that just because a person tires out quickly when trying to run long distances doesn't mean they have mostly fast twitch muscles. Keep in mind the concepts of VO2max and critical power. If you run faster than your VO2max you will fatigue very quickly. This has more to do with conditioning than anything else. I had to put this in here because I've actually had non-runners tell me that they "can't run long distances" because they only have fast twitch muscles, that they are more of a sprinter. Girlfriend, please. Pace yourself.

What does all this scientific information mean for the recreational athlete? What if you don't have access to a lab to measure your critical power or your VO2max? How do you know what your lactate threshold is? Can't I just run with my heart rate monitor and be done with it?

There are a few things you can do to improve your VO2max/aerobic capacity. Think intensity, not training volume. That means that stop the madness with the high mileage training. Studies show that HIIT (high intensity interval training) is better at increasing VO2max than endurance training. Some examples are intervals and speed work. A way to increase your lactate threshold is to train at higher volumes of training with your efforts at higher than resting intensity. Think tempo runs. Strength training has also been shown to increase VO2 max, lactate threshold, and running economy. It doesn't have to be all about high mileage.

BTW, while heart rate training has a place in all of this, it is important to know that heart rate monitors do not predict aerobic capacity. All the heart rate monitor tells us is how hard we are working at that moment in time. But monitoring how fast your heart rate goes down after an activity is a predictor of aerobic fitness. A more fit person will recover more quickly.

I walked away from this lecture both awed and overwhelmed. I had no idea that there was so much science behind running and cycling performance. I reflected on this information a lot over the past couple of days. This is the kind of testing and training that is utilized with elite athletes. That's a lot of pressure. I can see why a lot of elites might be tempted to dabble in banned substances, just to see those numbers improve. We mere mortals focus on mile splits. Imagine having your runs broken down into all those numbers and graphs. Seems to me that it kind of takes the fun out of running, doesn't it?

For more information:
http://m.runnersworld.com/race-training/find-your-tempo?page=single
http://www.athleteinme.com/ArticleView.aspx?id=242 (includes info on measuring VO2max at home)
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/exercise-physiology.html links to great articles
http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/four-lessons-i-have-learned-physiology
http://running.competitor.com/2014/02/training/how-do-muscle-fibers-determine-speed_67060
http://physfarm.com/new/
http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/hiit-vs-continuous-endurance-training-battle-of-the-aerobic-titans
http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/get-faster-and-stronger-with-high-intensity-and-volume-training

Runfessions February edition

It's the end of February and that means it's time for Runfessions! Marcia at Marcia's Healthy Slice hosts this monthly soul clearing...and let me tell you how good it feels!

Let's step into the confessional...allow me to unburden myself...unbury myself...after all, this is the polar vortex edition of Runfessions...

There's no problem too big you can't run away from....

I've wanted to run away more the past few weeks than I ever did as a child. There, I've said it. I've made no secret of the mama drama meter going into the red zone on a daily basis these past few weeks. I've cried more than I ever thought possible. Not being much of a crier normally, that alone makes me want to run away. Every morning, I wake up all puffy. When I go for a run, I've tried to keep running but I can't go forever. I'd like to keep going, but it's just too cold. This winter weather has been brutal and there seems to be no relief in sight. That also makes me want to run away. Living in the midwest is not for the faint of heart.

I'm channeling Jeff Foxworthy here: 

-You might live in Chicago when it is warmer at the North Pole than it is where you live.

-You might live in Chicago when you have more snow than they do in Anchorage. 

-You might live in Chicago when 20 degrees feels balmy. 

All true stories. 

Some math: Teenage angst + mother nature's revenge + perimenopause = I need an escape plan. Leaving on a jet plane for Florida in a couple of weeks. Don't know when I'll be back again...

Git 'er done...tomorrow

Got weeds?

And along these lines, something you all may find this hard to believe, but I'm a bit of a procrastinator. But winter seems to have frozen all my resolve to get much done. I've put all my energy into work, my runs, and my sons. Anything else is on the backburner. For example, bills that aren't on autopay have been sitting in a pile on my desk. I started getting collection notices, which served as a cattle prod for me, and so I paid those. My husband has been complaining about the state of my desk. I need to get up there and go through everything, organize the piles of papers that are taking over, much like weeds in a garden. I actually believe that bills multiply just like weeds. Of course, anyone who's seen my garden knows that I don't weed either. Maybe I can't blame winter for this one...

Rebel without a pose...

I've never been much of a rule follower. Well, let me clarify. I don't follow rules that don't make sense to me. I'm kind of a rebel like that. Remember last fall, when I went to do my long run for the Chicago Marathon and the bike path was closed? Yeah, right, it was "closed"...And in that spirit, I have to confess that when I'm doing a yoga video, I don't always do the poses the instructor tells us to. Sometimes it's a pose that I can't do, like Broken Toe pose. Yep, you sit on your feet with your toes curled under...ouch...

yinyoga.com

I've already had 2 broken toes, and I don't want more. Not that this pose will actually break your toes--I'm sure people with healthy feet find a lot of benefits in this pose. But I have issues with my feet and I'll do anything to avoid more time in the boot. So I'll do an alternative pose, like hero pose (kneeling) while the folks on the video are sitting on their toes. They're suffering stretching out their feet and I'm relaxing, opening up my hips. Ahhhh....

I actually really like this pose. 

Sometimes I don't feel like doing Revolved Triangle because my body doesn't like that pose and it makes me feel inflexible and inferior. Bad yogi. So instead, I'll do regular triangle. I don't know why, but changing it up makes me feel somewhat guilty. It's not like Christine Felstead or Rodney Yee are going to call me out on it.... from the TV screen no less:

"Hey Wendy, namaste and all but we're doing revolved trikonasana over here....what the hell are you doing? "

I wouldn't do this at a studio class. One time I was at a live yoga class and a woman in the front did her own thing the whole time. It was so distracting! And weird. I mean, if you don't want to be lead by the instructor, why show up? To me, that was so wrong, disrespectful, and inconsiderate. I'm sure the instructor wanted to say something, but it is yoga after all. Be where you're at. Ommmmm.....

Sign language...

This week on a particularly brutally cold run, I had a thought about my convertible mittens. You know the ones, that are gloves with a hood you can pull over to make a mitten? Let's just say I was out on a run and I saw one of the neighborhood ladies who snubbed me at a recent white elephant party. I could wave politely, right?

"Heeeyyyyy...good morning! Have a nice day!"

And all the while smiling and waving, if I were to happen to raise the business finger under the cover of my convertible mittens...who would know? Just me, right? I love things that are multi-purpose--here we have hand warmers and passive aggressive all in one handy dandy innocent looking mitten. It's all good. I think I just found a silver lining to living in a cold place. And come to think of it, there's that whole face mask thing...just think of the possibilities!

Too bad, you warm climate folks will miss out on this one.

And just so you know, I only thought about doing this. So tempting, but I kept all my fingers together. It was just too darned cold...

Or you could give someone the peace sign. Privately, under the hood...

Such bad thoughts. Time for my penance. Not sure what that might be. I do have to work today...I think that sounds like punishment enough.

What do you want to confess? 

And be sure to head over to Marcia's page and see what everyone else is sharing...

I'm also linking this with Jill Conyers' Friday Fitness link up! Because sharing is caring....

Winter Warrior

In spite of being weary of winter, there's always beauty to appreciate. With the exception of my speedwork, which is difficult to do outside in wintery conditions, I've continued to take my runs outside. I've talked a lot about motivation...about cold weather running...and more cold weather running.

Determined not to let Mother Nature get the best of me, and as part of participation in the #TaketheLeap yoga challenge, this week, I decided to do the Warrior Series and take all 5 poses outdoors. I wanted to portray a sense of strength, invincibility, and beauty in these poses. Winter really saps strength and energy from a lot of us, and these poses help us to feel grounded to the earth and strong. The poses all have physical benefits for runners as well. Warrior 3 is the most challenging of the series, involving strength and balance.

With the snow and gray skies as my background, the bright colors I wear for my runs served as contrast. Have you ever seen a cardinal in the snow? The beautiful red colors stand out perfectly in contrast to the whitewash of winter. I really enjoyed this series, and I think doing them in the snow generated so much peace and pleasure for me. And as they say, be a warrior, not a worrier.

Warrior 1

Humble warrior

Warrior 2

Reverse Warrior

Warrior 3

Motivation!

When everything hits the proverbial fan, it takes every ounce of resolve I have to lace up my running shoes, head out the door and go for a run. I actually consider just going back to bed and pulling the covers up over my head. Have you ever felt like that? It's a slippery slope towards depression, and I don't want to go there. After all, that's one of the reasons I started running 20 plus years ago. And that in and of itself is my biggest motivator to get out the door.

What else do I do to motivate myself to run?

If you don't want to race or if you need more goals, you can stay accountable by signing up for a virtual race or group. In 2015, I signed up with Run This Year. While no longer in operation, the goal of Run This Year was accountability. I always have a loose goal of running 100 miles per month, and I set a goal to run 2015 km in 2015 (which translates to 1251 miles. The organizers,had Instagram contests to keep participants motivated. They also encouraged participants to print out bibs every 100 miles and post a picture to the website. At the end of the year, I met my goal. What a great feeling!

Reading about running can be motivating! Shameless plug: as you may or may not know, I'm hosting a running book club right here on the blog! This is a great chance to read books that you might never have considered picking up! You can read more about the book club here. And if you are one of those people who don't read books--I don't understand you but I know you're out there--you can read magazines about running. There's a ton of websites with articles about running. And I know a few awesome blogs about running. Obviously, you do too....

Connect with other runners via social media. I cannot say enough how much having my virtual running friends helped me train for a successful Chicago Marathon last fall. It takes a village to train a runner, apparently. Just ask Jenny Hadfield! If you are a social runner, find a running group in your community. Be with your people. They get you and if your mojo is flagging, they can help you find it. I get by with a little help from my friends.

Adopt a mantra. I continue to use my "I can and I will" mantra to not only get me through my training but also through my mama drama. It sounds corny, but it really works. Music gets me moving too, and I've written plenty about how listening to motivating lyrics can really push me through a tough run. Some of my friends listen to podcasts.

I feel like the Yeti these days!

While it might seem superficial to some, having cute (or if you're a guy, cool) running clothes really is a great pick me up. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get some fun things to wear. TJMaxx and Marshall's is a great source of inexpensive, name brand gear. Target's C9 brand is high quality and fashion forward. Old Navy is another great source for cute running clothes. There are plenty of other options, but as they say, you don't have to spend a lot to look good. Sometimes just buying a few new items is enough to perk up even the most depressed winter runner. Clearly, though, I've been following this advice a little too closely. But do you want to be that runner wearing inappropriate clothing? I didn't think so.

How do you find your mojo?

Coming back to the laughter

I do love to laugh. I laugh at really dumb things. I'm kind of immature like that. When life gets stressful, I really appreciate the little silly things that pop up here and there. Indulge me a bit, as I share a few things that have made me laugh this week. Just thinking about them puts a smile on my face.

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The Student Driver

Earlier in the week, my youngest son, who recently got his driving permit, drove my older son and me home from an appointment. He drove on the expressway! Through road construction! Through the toll booth! On the exit ramps, which are shaped like cloverleafs. He did great, with a little coaching--"you're going too slow' (on the highway) or "you're going too fast" (on the ramps). We didn't end up in a ditch. We made it home safely. Or so I thought. He pulled up to the driveway, and I complimented him on his driving. But the turn into the driveway was tricky. There is snow piled up on either side, making it pretty narrow. To top it off, the recycling can was in the driveway. I warned him to watch out for it but it was too late--he tapped the can with the front bumper. Just a tap-- but it was enough to pop the lid and send recyclables shooting up in the air and all over the car. It looked like an explosion. Wine bottles, beer cans (sheesh, we look like lushes), milk cartons, boxes..you name it. When he stopped, I saw the mailman, standing across the street, just staring at us. The boys and I started laughing so hard we were crying. I don't remember the last time the 3 of us laughed like that. All night we kept giggling about it. And that felt good....

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Nurse NP Ratched

Yesterday at work, I had a full schedule of sickies, including 2 brothers, ages 4 and 5, with fevers. I've seen them before and they are funny and cute. I took one look at their throats and decided to swab them for strep. As soon as I swabbed the 5 year old, he vomited. His brother started to cry, and when I swabbed him, he vomited too. Their dad and I got them cleaned up, and as I walked out of the room to run the strep tests, I heard one of them say, "I don't like that doctor anymore".  I started laughing. When I came back, they were smiling again, but the older one stopped smiling as soon as he saw me and gave me the hairy eyeball. Even after I tried to bribe him with a prize. Little kids crack me up. And yes, they had strep.

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As seen on the run

Today on the run, I saw a few things that amused me. I was out for a 12 mile run, so I had a lot of territory to cover. Since there is so much snow on the ground, I've gotten creative trying to get my miles in. I did a 6 mile out and back through 2 different parks. I have to run on the roads in between the parks, and on the side of the road, I came upon a condom box. I kicked the box while I ran, and it burst open, shooting condom packages out all over the road. I started laughing. Why would anyone throw a whole box of unused condoms out? I thought about picking them up, but I have no use for them anymore... At least they weren't used.  I do see those more often than I'd like. Ewww. As I kept running down the street, there was a radar/speed sign. The sign picked up a few cars going 25, 30 mph. I hoped to see my speed and was rewarded when it flashed an 8 at me. Oh yeah!!! That put a huge grin on my face. I gave myself an internal thumbs up. Once I got to the park, I looped around the lakes, stopped to take a yoga selfie (warrior 1 today) and headed back home. I saw this no swimming sign, which tickled my funny bone. I stopped again to snap this selfie.

I have to laugh. Laughter keeps me sane. It's so true that laughter is indeed the best medicine. It felt good to be reminded about that this week. As I continue to wrestle with my older son's issues, I'm finding less to laugh about. In yoga, we always come back to the breath. In life, we need to come back to the laughter.

Have you seen anything funny on the run? What makes you laugh out loud?

I'm linking this post with Tara at RunningNReading for her Weekend Update! Be sure to head over to her blog to see what everyone else is up to!

Book clubbers: how are you doing with the book? Shoot me questions, concerns...and if you want me to ask the author anything, let me know!

Resilience

Pretty much my plan!

I had some tough, fast, mind-clearing runs this week.

Earlier in the week, I ran on anger. When I finished that blisteringly fast (for me) run on Tuesday, I involuntarily did a double fist pump. I could have gone farther. I was not tired. I was not winded. I felt strong. I felt tough. I no longer felt like pummelling my son. Which is a positive thing, right?

As the week went on, my runs were still strong. My speedwork on Tuesday was cut short by fatigue, but as I look at my mile splits, I can see why. 7:50 mins/mi? I can't sustain that! I did for miles 2 and 3 though. Then I pooped out. I wasn't too sad about it, all things considered. I do need to do a better job pacing myself on my unreliable treadmill. Lesson learned. But I did take the day off from CrossFit. We're doing intervals right now and I didn't know if I had it in me to take the beating that those workouts bring. The day off was a welcome break from a tough training cycle and a chance to regroup and deal with the problems at home.

Yesterday's run was a 4 miler before work. The weather was the limiting factor. It was 25F when I started, but the winds were howling at 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. With the wind at my back, I flew. It actually felt like the wind was pushing me down the road. I considered running the entire distance like that and having my husband pick me up when I was done so I didn't have to turn around and run into the wind. No, that didn't happen. I forged ahead. Running into the wind was tough but I still finished with an average mile speed of 8:22. I'll take it! There was one point where the wind blew at me sideways and almost blew me over. Nope, you're not the boss of me, Mother Nature! It wasn't an endorphin producing run, really, it was more exhausting than anything. But I was glad to triumph over the conditions.

And then there was today's long run. It was so cold, my thermometer didn't register the temperature. As I contemplated today's run, I put on the news and the current temp was -2F, with 10 mph winds. Less windy is good, right? See, it's all relative. And the sun was out. Piece of cake, was my thinking. After all, I have the thermoball.

I had 10 miles to do and I sure didn't want to do them on the treadmill. Really, what's worse? Running outside in the cold with my thermoball to keep me warm or running on the treadmill for an hour and a half? You know what I chose.

I slipped on my Athleta wind pants and knee high Smartwool socks. Put on a long running bra top, my Chicago marathon long sleeve shirt for inspiration, and my jacket. Topped it off with a face mask and gloves. Oh, and to insure that my phone didn't freeze, I tucked my Spibelt in my pants and off I went. I headed to the bike path, which I knew would be clear. How far I could go on it, I didn't know. I was running at a nice comfortable pace, and once I hit the unplowed portion, I headed south on the sidewalk, which I was pleased to see was cleared. I decided to head to another park where there is a fitness path as well.

Me and my thermoball

I don't usually run at this park because in warmer weather, the path is really popular with walkers, who aren't very accommodating to us runners. I think they feel like this path is "their" path. But today, I had the entire path to myself. It was peaceful and beautiful. The 2 little lakes were both frozen, the golf course was covered with snow, the driving range was empty, and the playground equipment sat idle. I circled around and dreamed of summer. Thought about the triathlon that takes place here every year. As I headed back towards home, I looked at my Garmin and saw that I still had 2 miles to go. I think those last 2 miles were the hardest part of the run. Where to go, where to go, I thought? I circled around my neighborhood to make the last 2 miles.

When I finished today's run, I felt triumphant. I felt tough. I felt strong. I felt resilient. Ready to tackle the tough challenge that life is throwing at me right now. Compared to that, running is easy. Even in the bitter cold.

I look back at that Chicago marathon last fall. How I killed that tough training plan Becky gave me. Chased away my demons of self doubt and fear. How I crushed my PR. I was a different person after that race. Tougher. Stronger. Believe.

My mantra comes back into play. I can and I will. As on the road, as in life.

I'm linking this post up with Tara at RunningNReading! Be sure to go over to her blog and check out all the other posts.