We had a long winter in my neck of the woods and I am elated that it is finally over. I had some great running plans for the winter season that were laid to rest by tons of snow and extreme cold temperatures. I gave it my best shot, though. In fact, I hosted my first ever Winter Running Clinic. We made it through four weeks until we just cried "uncle" and let nature have its way. Unfortunately, the majority of my running for the remainder of the season took place indoors on the dreadmill.
Running on a treadmill is no joy for Happy Feet. Indoor running lacks the change of scenery, terrain and fresh air that I enjoy when I am outdoors. You get the occasional runner, when running in the gym, who joins you on your left or right, but that can be a distraction. I am a social runner, for the most part (there are days when I'm in my happy pace and I don't want to be bothered), but I don't socialize while running on a treadmill. In fact, that is the only time that you will find me running with headphones. I have to take myself to another place in order to get my miles in on a treadmill. A person's heavy breathing, sweating or mismatched cadence is enough to make me pull the stop cord. There was one particular morning, however, when I was strapped for time and needed to clock five miles on the mill, and I entered a zone and didn't want to stop running. This was a definite first which I can't account for in any way.
Running is like that at times. You have your good and bad days and it is hard to tell why the tables turn either way. Some runs just start off on the wrong foot because you're not in the mood, not feeling the best or the weather is crappy. Funny thing is there are very few times when I've reluctantly started a run that I wasn't full of joy when I finished. As long as my good runs outweigh the bad, I'll never stop running!!
So, before I close, I'd like to make a shout out to the DC Running Club in Maryland. I was registered to run their George Washington Birthday Marathon this past February, but it was canceled due to the weather. You've got to love a marathon organized by real runners. They had to make a tough decision, but they did so in a timely manner, posted the cancellation on their website and sent out text messages to all of the registrants. Then, less than a month later, they refunded a portion of the registration fee (in cash), and mailed it to each registered runner along with their race bib, medal and the shirt. I was in awe of how gracefully and graciously the race director handled this. I've run 30 plus marathons (20 more states to go, by the way) that I've paid a lot more money to register and received far less after actually running the race. To receive a refund or even a portion of your registration is unheard of.
When I finish my 50 states in 2015, I'm heading for Maryland. I am determined to run that marathon. I'm sure they took some flack for canceling the race. I saw the photos on their site of race day conditions and I think it was a tough call. Sure a lot of us seasoned marathoners could have made our way through it, but they had to take all runners of every level into account and safety has to be a priority as a race director. Thanks for looking out!
Look for more frequent posts from me this year. I've got a lot of helpful information on running, fitness and nutrition that I'd like to share. Please stay in touch and forward my posts to fellow runners.
Your friend and coach (I am now certified!)
Tia (Happy Feet)
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