To Run or Not to Run

That was the question today.  Despite my quote at the end of yesterday's post about not waiting for the perfect conditions to run, I ended up letting the weather get the better of me today.

It took a lot of convincing though.  I was bound and determined to go for a run today, despite the fact that it was 4 degrees when I left my house this morning.  I had my running clothes packed and brought them to work with me.  My co-workers said it was too cold to run and I, being the rebel that I am, said "No, I really need to run today so I don't lose my training momentum."  All the while, I kept thinking that I ran the Hot Chocolate Race a month ago in similar weather (blissfully forgetting how cold that run was).  A few hours into my day and I was still set to go for a run.  Then my sweet husband, as if he was reading my mind, sends me a message and all it says is: Too cold for a run.  That is when I threw in the towel.  I gave him the same spiel about how I needed to run so I wouldn't lose momentum and he convinced me that doing a little cross-training today instead of running wouldn't set me back.  

I was a little discouraged, but after a quick step outside this afternoon, I decided that I would have been pretty miserable on a run this afternoon.  Instead, I am setting my sights on a few longs runs this weekend when the temps are supposed to be back in the 50's (and then returning to the teens early next week.  Seriously, wake me when it's spring).  

I'm looking forward to running a virtual 5K (or maybe more) on Saturday in honor of Katie's birthday at Runs for Cookies.  For more information or to sign up for the virtual 5K, click here.  I have never participated in a virtual 5K before, so I am looking forward to this event and to celebrating Katie.  She is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement for me through her blog, so it will be nice to help her ring in her 32nd year! 

Have you ever participated in a virtual race before?  If so, which one?

I ended up going to the Rec Center at work tonight and doing a few miles on the elliptical.  I had hoped to do some leg presses and leg lifts after that, but the elliptical was making my tailbone tinge a bit and I thought that perhaps doing leg presses and lifts might not be the best at the moment.  I almost worked up the nerve to run on the treadmill tonight, but I chickened out at the last minute.  Someday, I will conquer my fear, but today was not that day.  

I appreciated the feedback about weight gain during training!  It's nice to hear that I'm not alone in that and that it can be a normal part of training for an endurance race.  I still think I need to be a bit more mindful of what I'm eating, especially since today I felt like I could eat anything in sight, but I am going to pay less attention to the numbers on the scale.  For that reason, I found the below quote to be pretty fitting! 

"I'm not training to be skinny.  I'm training to be badass."