Look, I get it, I chose to live on the East Coast. Snow happens. Cold happens. I can even have fun with it.
BUT. We’re so close to a new season (okay not really but let me pretend) and I just want it so badly. It’s not Boston levels of snow, but this snow can now suck it. Also my parents who separately emailed me to tell me about the 80 degree heatwave out west (JK I love them).
I moved away from this place at 18. WILLINGLY.
I want to run outside and not worry about falling to my death on ice. I would like to sit in the actual sun instead of sitting in my bathroom where the heat works best and the sun shines brightly so I can pretend it’s the summer.
JUST LIKE SUNRAYS AMIRITE
It’s the winter mopes. In general life is pretty good. But when 20 degree days are rare magical unicorns, you just want to punch that stupid ground hog into giving you spring sooner. Right?
It’s pretty cool having a race named after you. It’s even cooler to have a race name after you in antemortem anticipation. I’m not sure on the right phrasing. But rest assured we had a lot of theories on when and how this race would earn it’s “memorial” title.
You see, when I started my new job back in August, I realized I was going to have a lot more free time to fit in running. Since October I’ve been following a beginner training plan for a half marathon. My initial plan was to complete the training plan as best I could (with room for exceptions like travel and being sick), and then basically keep going and/or start over until I could run a race in the spring. Best laid plans, and all that, you know how that goes…
One of my Christmas presents from Jeremy was a half marathon race in my honor. And how can you not love that?! Jeremy decided we should celebrate the first time I reached that 13.1 milestone with a semi-certified race. We all had bibs and everything! It was very (semi) official.
Crazy mofos
While we considered the snow and the potential cold (IT WAS REALLY COLD), we didn’t really consider just how much of the Mohawk Hudson bike path would not be plowed. And how none of us had really trained for snow. I’d say somewhere around 10 of the miles we ran were in snow.
It turned into a trail race kind of adventure instead of a PR/race time event. Jeremy is great at cheering me on with Rocky quotes, no matter how much I beg him to stop. (I’ll admit I secretly enjoy it.) We all basically froze almost to death, with no one being able to feel their fingers at the end. I was probably the most hobbled, but we all made it back together. We managed to revive enough back at my apartment to celebrate with some Flying Chicken. And best of all, I won the race! Winner winner, chicken dinner. …I’ll excuse myself now.
Overall it was a challenging experience but I’m glad we did it. Plus now I can say I’ve run a half marathon distance. Now on to pick a race for the spring…
The freezing rain started last night, and by the morning the roads where covered in snow. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to make my commute a bit rough. Traveling 30 miles to Vermont, while following a chain of extra-slow-going cars, and trying not to die in the process is not my favorite kind of morning. It’s also in the single and negative digits again, so I can tell you I gave almost no thought to what I put on except OMG LAYERS. After almost 1.5 hours on the road I made it to work, and I can only hope the roads will be clearer at the end of the day. It’ll really be spring one of these days, right?
