dedication

Alternate title: Frosty the Runner

Week 1 of 18 for our training for the Sugarloaf Marathon ended with a frigid "long" run of 8 miles.

I can tell you that, while it is in a marathoner's best interest to learn to look at 8 miles as a run around the block, this morning our 8 mile long run deserved such a standing.

You see, it was a mere 1 degree.

Just one, teensy, tiny degree.

Let's start by going over what one wears to be running in cold that would freeze wet hair in the instant you go to start your car after you shower and before you blow-dry.

On bottom: silk leggings underneath poly/nylon blend running pants, Smart Wools on my feet, toe warmers tucked into my sneakers.  On top: all long sleeved- silk shirt, technical running shirt with thumb holes, turtleneck fleece, windbreaker, mitten-gloves with hand warmers, balaklava and hat.  That actually doesn't even sound like enough but, due to the hand and toe warmers, it was.

I was so very grateful, as always, to have two of my five Sole Sisters (that is our official running group name now) running with me because I had to work through hard thoughts such as: I want to stop now.  I want to turn around now, not in 2 more miles.  Why do I do this to myself?  If I can't run faster than this, I don't want to run.  What if I have to quit at 7 miles?  What if I have to stop and walk and I freeze into a sweat-frozen igloo right here on the side of the road? How can 8 miles feel so hard?
In reality, your body just has to work WAY harder in single digit numbers. To be honest, I really wasn't cold but I know that it took a lot of bodily energy just to maintain normal temperature.

Two things cheered me enormously (I am not counting my friends because that is a steady given):  the morning was stunning, everything dusted with silver and sparkling in the early sun, and the warm tea and muffins Emilie's mom Beth had waiting back at her house.




We decided to run a different area and so stared and ended at Beth's house.  Seeing her beautiful face would have been incentive enough, but a warm house to begin at and return to?  In addition to muffins, coffee and tea?  Color us lucky.

(Regretfully, I didn't manage to get a smiling picture of Beth but I couldn't NOT post a picture of our lovely host.)

The table...set with hot drinks, food and two Garmins.  Must be a runner's post-run meal.

I did tell Beth that we run the risk of being truly spoiled to have such luxurious treatment after a run.  She told us to come back all six of us and she would make us a big breakfast. We already RSVPed.

Anyone else want to host us?

(For an awesome description of the entire of our Sole Sisters team , check out Emilie's post about how it all came to be:  http://www.onemominmaine.com/2011/01/meet-sole-sisters.html.  I am just a fortunate add-on to the original group and feel so very blessed to be.)