And the Beast Goes On!

This season is a tough one, I totally dropped the ball. This winter season seemed to be the coldest ever - well at least in a long time. The temperatures plummeted to single digits and wind chills reported to have a feel within the negative teens. Needless to say, there goes my winter run.

However,  I am reflecting on the time when the morning temperature was back in the 30's and heading up to the 40's - it was time to head back out and get back on track. This time it was different as I heard my King (the Beast) ask if I wanted to go for a run, my heart sank. Our ideas for a run are way different. My run is just a smidgen above a snails pace, his idea is like a cross country pick up the pace and let's go. Prepared to challenge myself, I agreed to run knowing that it was going to be a rough one.

What I wasn't prepared for was the slick patches of ice. The day before was beautiful, a high of 50 was instrumental in melting the snow. However, there was some refreezing due to the drop in temperatures over night. We ran up on hills, on mounds of snow and gingerly ran over icy patches. It was like a boot camp run, testing my ability to make it through. I tried my best to keep up as the beast was way ahead of me. Over all, I made it through. Once again, I am proud of my efforts and now that the season is changing, I will be back out there even if it means I will go for the challenge run with my King - the Beast.

In the meantime, if the weather decides to take a turn, I will take full advantage of the indoor workout. How about you?

Update:It was 32 degrees so the Beast and I headed out for a run this morning. Although the path was much better as the snow has melted even more - it was a tough one. So tough that the beast was way ahead of me and kept running back to tell me to pick it up. With an aching knee, I begged him to go ahead - "I'll make it" but the truth is I felt like giving up, turning back and walking home. Here's the kicker, as I ran at a pace that allowed me to focus on running, the beast would make announcements to alert me that "this is the tough part" or "pick up your knees we're going up this hill" - things I really did not want or needed to hear. I just wanted to run the best way that I could. The best part of it all - I did it and I am so glad that I did.

How do you handle the cold weather, do you still go for runs?