Icicles

The negative 6 degree temp made for an interesting Saturday morning long run. I only did half the distance I was supposed to - for a few reasons, not just because of the weather - but I do believe that the severely cold temperature gives me a few extra bonus miles! The group I do my long runs with is great about making sure we have a nice clear route to run which was very important today after the 5 or so inches of snow that arrived Thursday and the ice and slush that have taken up residence on the roads and sidewalks.

We all laughed about how crazy we are...or stupid, depending on who you asked. In reality though, we we were all happy to be healthy enough to run. I ran with my friend Kelly today and her friend Marvin. I've run with Marvin several times - he is a talented endurance athlete and great mentor. 8 weeks ago tomorrow he fell 32 feet and landed on his chest. His injuries included 11 broken ribs, 7 punctures in one lung and 4 punctures in the other. Today was his 23rd straight day of running. This gave me something to focus on instead of the cold weather - I am lucky to be healthy, able to run, able to push my body and test its limits. And if Marvin could run for the 23rd straight day after his accident, why couldn't I?

We took pictures of the icicles on our eyelashes that were are reward for being lucky enough (and insane enough) to run this morning. We will be pulling these pictures out in July when it's 100 degrees and we are complaining about the heat!

Back inside we were greeted with hot chocolate, oatmeal, coffee, fruit and muffins. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this running group?! Such a nice treat after a hard run.

I was also lucky enough to have book club this morning. Champagne brunch with some very funny ladies made me forget that my fingers were still hurting from the cold a few hours earlier.

My hips are very tight from my workout with a trainer Friday evening. I'm hoping yoga tomorrow helps me recover from that workout as well as my cold long run this morning. Now it's time for a well deserved nap!