Just got back and warmed up. Today, needing some 22 miles prior to the end of 2010 to reach my target goal of 100 miles per month average and thus 1200 miles for the year, I headed out at 0-dark-thirty for a 12 miler. That'll leave me 4 days for the other 10 miles.
The temp was only about 20 degrees F and the wind was howling out of the NW at 25-35 MPH, with higher gusts. There was a trace of snow but it wasn't slippery at all. The real accumulations of snow blasted the Mid-Atlantic coastal areas and New England, but we are far enough inland here in south-central PA to have completely missed it. Seems the storm has already been dubbed the Blizzard for 2010 for those folks.
But as usual, whenever I run when conditions pretty much suck, I had a great and wonderful run.
Call it the smugness factor, but the feeling of knowing I'm out there and nobody else is, makes me feel, well, determined and tough. Apart from the others. More dogged, braver, better...or at least better motivated. Ah, but I did see another runner on a backwoodsy stretch. He was young and fast and overtook me from behind, scaring the crap out of me.
Most times (there have been exceptions) when I almost have myself convinced to wave off, I say to self, "Either you're serious about running, or not." And then I (usually) head out the door.
Today I was under the gun for my annual mileage--not that I'm anal or anything--so waving off was not an option. And true to form, when the weather, by any objective standard, sucks, I invariably have a great run.
As I did today.
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