winter wonderland workouts

Friday will be my day to bring you stories of my running and what I am learning along the way. Some might be stupid stories; some profound; some just what the training is for me in the week. So, here is the first in my Friday series…
             Friday morning. 4 am. (Insert yawn here)
  Some days, getting up so early in order to fit in a training workout is REALLY hard.
   Snow fell lightly with big flakes all night long.
This week's weather has consisted of Monday and Tuesday being in the negative temperatures (yes…negative. With windchill factors, it was around -30) .
  Wednesday warmed up to 10 degrees; Thursday got into the 30s.
 I was feeling excited for a Friday morning outdoor run, because early week temperatures forced me onto the treadmill (which I loathe).
   The Thursday night snow took me by surprise, but will not stop me from putting on my spandex, my under armour clothing, and stepping out into the snowy swirls of this morning's crisp air.

   I am back in full on training again for a half marathon, so snow will not stop me.
Quite honestly, though I really don't love the cold weather at all (true Florida girl at heart, to be honest), I have come to thoroughly enjoy my winter wonderland workouts.
   Why?
 The snow that came in quietly all night greets me with a beauty unspeakable. The snow is yet to be disturbed, so it's pristine white. The pine trees are draped in a curtain of white, and the contrast in colors is breathtaking. No one else is out and about; it's me, (my dog), and God. This is the time I have come to love the most in the day…the moments where I am allowed to have uninterrupted time with God, accompanied by a good workout. There is a quietness found in the morning that cannot be found at any other time in my day. This is my time.
   
 Don't get me wrong: getting up every day at 4 is really tough at times. Moments come when I ask myself why I decided to go back to doing long distance again…
  But when I finish my morning run, whether it is speed, tempo, or otherwise, I always feel better. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed training.
   I don't run to lose weight; I don't run because I need to do something with my time; I don't run because I have to…..
   I run because I love it.
 I am slow.
    I struggle at times.
        But with hard work put into it, running helps me in more ways than I can count.
And thus, I savor my winter wonderland workouts.

    Running has become a parallel for me to life. It is hard….it takes work….and most times it is mind over matter (especially when it comes to getting out of bed). But the more I stay with it, the more results I see, the better I feel.
   Life is like that…it is hard at times….it takes a lot of work to sometimes stick with it….and some days it is mind over the matter (or I must say…. even choosing truth over lies of the heart) but the closer I stick with God, and the more I keep pressing on….the more results of Him I see in me and the better I feel.
 
  So I train. In running….and in life.
    The race is months off and there will be many more 4 am days, not to mention, I have no doubt, many more cold days….
   But I will continue training one day at a time. It's one foot in front of the other, one deep breath after another, one run down, many more to go, but all one day at a time.