To Hell with the Trifecta

My Facebook status this morning read 'Sadie Jones has decided that a 4:30 wake-up, 40 degree temps and rain are the perfect trifecta for her to stay in bed...but she is gonna run anyways.'

I meant it. I really wanted to stay in bed. I am not a morning person. I hate running in temps below 45. I really hate running in the rain when it is cold. If it wasn't for horrible peer pressure and my complex to try to be one of the 'hard core' members of the team, I would have loved to cuddle up under the covers for another three hours. Damn, now that I re-think it, three hours under warm covers would have been so nice.

Thanks to Mike for posting this radar image on his blog. I'm stealing it. This is right about the time we started our warmup. Seriously, when I found out we were going to the Eastside track instead of Austin High, I almost had a meltdown. Mentally, I had prepared to run west, and it was all I could do to grin and bear it through a rolling hilly warm-up in a part of town we used to visit on the tour of our student neighborhoods when I was a teacher.

One good thing about this morning...I was so distracted with the weather conditions and my preparations to avoid the discomforts of the cold rain that I forgot to wear my watch. Oh well! I wasn't able to take my splits for the track workout. It was probably a good thing. My clothes were soaked and I was running in lanes 3 and 4 because of the huge puddles on the inside of the track. I can guarantee you my times would have been slow because of all of the extenuating circumstances, not because I wasn't putting forth the effort.

My Facebook status now reads "Sadie agrees that 'there is a fine line between hard core and stupid.' She will only admit to the hard core bit." The quote comes directly from Glenda when she walked in after her workout. I laughed a little when she said it. Then it hit me....

I drove safely. I wore proper rain gear to minimize the suffering through the cold rain. I ran the workout to the best of my ability. None of those things are stupid. Ever. Though I would not call people 'stupid', those who stayed in bed this morning (without a valid excuse like being sick) missed some of the mental toughness that I gained this morning. And yes, I could have slept in and run the workout on my own at lunchtime to avoid some rain...not an excuse on a group coached workout day.

Rock on...10.9 miles in the cold, cold rain and wind. Tough as nails. Hard core. However you want to put it...