Winter Wonderland

The view from my patio this morning.

Even taken from a cell phone, this is a pretty pic. But 24 hours prior, the scene was not so beautiful -- it was downright nasty. Having put off my 20 miler last Saturday because the weather was "icky", yesterday was do or die. Little Rock is in 2 weeks!!!! Friday nite, as I listened to the forecast for Sat, I knew I had made a fatal mistake by waiting. If I thought last week's weather was "icky" it was sure not to compare to what was in store this weekend.

I woke up Saturday with nausea and cramping. I'm on a new medication and boy am I experiencing every side effect. I headed out the door a little past 8am -- an hour later than I intended but still pumped. It was cold, windy and damp but not raining or snowing - so far so good. 1st 5 miles felt great -- had to dodge some puddles from the heavy rains the nite before but so far, the elements were not a problem. When I get to the park, it was practically under water, making it increasing difficult to dodge puddles. It would have been easier to swim in some places. My feet get wet -- it's unavoidable and certainly not a good thing. The wind picks up. Bad for me, good for the water as by the time I'm headed out of the park, the puddles are practically dried up. At 14.5 miles, it starts. The temps begin dropping, the wind picks up even more and it begins to rain/sleet/something! My face, which by now is wind burned, cannot handle this precipitation -- it stings! I decide to call it and head home. Home is either 2.5 miles or 5 miles, depending on which route I take.

Next comes the great debate. I know I need to get in 20 -- this is my last chance!!! But the cold, damp conditions have caused stiff muscles, throbbing knees and ankles and I honestly can't remember a time when I experienced this much pain. I opted for the 2.5 mile route and vowed to finish up on my treadmill. The closer I got to home, the more I hurt. I was literally chilled to the bone and there was nothing dry on my entire body.

When I got inside, I just started bawling uncontrollably. I left a trail of wet running clothes and gear that led to my bedroom, quickly put on something dry and did the one thing you should NEVER do -- I climbed into bed and shivered off to sleep. You don't have to be a seasoned runner to know that laying down after a run is a sure fire way to invite soreness to set in. And when you have it there to begin with, well, it's just a double whammy.

Fast forward to this morning. Yes, the snow is beautiful but the events leading up to it, not so much. The good news for me is that I'm FINALLY warm. The bad news, I can barely walk. While I didn't get in my 20 miles yesterday, the 17.5 I did manage to crank out felt like a marathon to me. So I might not shave any time off my finish at LR in 2 weeks but after braving the elements that yesterday threw at me, I KNOW I will cross the finish line. I'll do whatever needs to be done to earn that medal & that shirt -- afterall, that's what it's all about right? Clothes and jewelry!!

Gotta run...

Lisa =)