Facing My Fear: Learning To Be A Cold Weather Runner
By admin
Good morning friends!
We have a crazy busy day ahead of us (a huge project in the works) which means errands, kitchen experiments and time on the computer. I know that sounds like a not so fun Saturday, but I am actually really excited to get to work! I guess it’s not work when you love doing something, right?
The morning didn’t start off with excitement though. More like… fear.
My next half marathon is 2 weeks away and ever since winter rolled in, I have been avoiding outdoor running like the plague. Sure, I have learned to appreciate a treadmill a bit more but on the flip side, I don’t think the race director will let me run on a treadmill with nice temperatures while everyone else hits the roads.
That sucks.
So, I knew that I had to bite the bullet, shimmy into leggings, toss on some layers, pull out my gloves, find a hat and face my winter fears.
Am I really afraid of the cold?
I know I keep mentioning “my fear of the cold” and it might sound ridiculous to many of you considering that our cold is really not THAT cold…
But I live in Charleston, we don’t know what cold really is. And when it’s below 45-degrees… THAT’S COLD to me. I am miserable, irritable, stiff, and inefficient when it’s cold outside. I really do have a fear of it. I am afraid my fingers will get stiff, my toes will get dumb and my ears will burn.
Frost on the windows = extra time to change my mind.
Yesterday when I made up my mind to not get on a treadmill, I made the mistake of looking at what the temperatures would be this morning. 35… really? So, I pulled out my gear like normal. Got it set up in the bathroom so that I wouldn’t wake Dan this morning and hit the hay.
But when the alarm went off, all I thought about was that 35-degrees. So I told Dan I wasn’t going to run, I was going to stay snuggled in bed nice and warm. Thankfully my husband isn’t very sympathetic and made some comment. Which got me out of bed about 45-minutes later as my conscious wouldn’t let me fall into a deep sleep.
I grabbed a breakfast bar and ran out the door.
And you know what!?
It wasn’t so bad.
Sure I was cold as “you know what” at the beginning but as I started I kept telling myself… “this isn’t so bad.” I can do this.
In fact, I might have even put one one too many layers, okay maybe not. But the point is I faced my fear and it proved not to be so scary after all.
It didn’t hurt that I had views like this:
And:
And:
By the end of my run (which was only around 7 miles), I was pumped! Not only did I run in the cold, but I ran over 3 different bridges for 3 amazing views of Charleston. My pace wasn’t bad either, averaging under a 8.50 minute mile. I’ll take it!
Now, I just have 1 more long run then it’s time for back to back races! I can’t wait.
Okay, to the kitchen I go!
Happy Saturday 
The post Facing My Fear: Learning To Be A Cold Weather Runner appeared first on Lifting Revolution for Women – Change Your Life With Taylor.