WHAT A DAY.....

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr is all I can say. I don't like the cold, I don't do well in the cold, but I proved my mental toughness to myself today. Here's how...

The alarm rang at 3:30am, I started boiling water to make my oatmeal with granola in it, take care of the morning duties, and hop on the weather channel to learn that it was 12 degrees outside! No biggie (that's what I told myself) but I was a bit nervous. I get dressed eat breakfast and gear up. Open the garage and it hits me, like a bag of potatoes, it is colder than anything I wanted to experience, but, I got to get this 30+ mile run in and stick to the plan!

I did a 10.88 mile loop 3 times, and at about mile 7 of the 1st loop I can't figure out why my mask will not stay up... Well, thats because my sweat turned into a solid block of ice around my neck... And to top it off, my water bottle was frozen solid as well... No hydration, but I have to say my new headlamp is AWESOME...  125 Lumens of brightness!!! So, I get through it and get home and immediately get into a hot shower and bath... My skin was bright red and itchy because of the cold, and I don't think I was in good shape. I DID NOT want to go back outside, so I began resigning / preparing myself to run 20+ miles on the treadmill. I thought about i****ched the gorgeous sunrise, and decided I would "Sack Up" and get out there for another loop.

I did it, and was cold, but not as cold as the 1st. feeling good! My goal, which i stuck to was to run 30 minutes, and walk 5, which worked great! In between loops i ate peanut butter sandwiches, soup, had a couple fiber one pop tarts, some pretzels, Cliff Recovery drink, and it seems like anything else I could get my hands on! Anyways, the third loop went great, and all in all i feel pretty good after running 33 miles! Thank you guys for your support and encouragement... I thought, if you guys up north or east can run in this crap, I can too. As a team we strengthen each other and as a group we support each other and push us to be our best! I overcame my fear and hesitation today, and made it happen, which feels great! Have an awesome weekend everyone...

Awesome!  It's around 0 here right now, I'm not heading out in the morning.  I hope to get to my SIL to ride her stationary bike tomorrow but maybe by the afternoon it will be manageable........I have my limits for sure!

Dan, this is exactly the kind of motivating story that I needed to hear this morning.  It has been freezing here in NJ and even though I do most of my training indoors, I miss getting outside every once in a while. 

Taking on a challenge that you think you may not be able to do is the very best way to get mentally prepared for future challenges.  Thanks for the reminder to push ourselves beyond just what we normally think we can do!

Good job Dan! I think you must be part machine? LOL!! Seriously, that's a great effort. Quitting is so easy, but when you push through it, the satisfacetion, pride & sense of accomplishment can't be beat.

Dan, you are da man!

Jet

Cool! Great Job. I went running a couple of weeks ago in 29 degree weather and that was cold, I can't even imagine doing it in 12 degrees!

If it's not 38-55 degrees with light winds, I am not a happy runner.  Still, you gotta go, you gotta go.  Way to get out there and beat the problems that came up.  I have done 20 on the mill and it's pretty tough.  Good job.

you are a better man than I!  i've been wussing out and running on the TM when it is below 40! great run!

Being from Central New York, I can take the 12 degrees, but that 3:30 a.m. wake-up call - NO WAY!

Awesome job Dan getting that run done. Glad to hear the run/walk ratio worked well today.

Cassie