Peace and icicles....

I made a commitment to myself to write at least weekly.  When I asked a friend of mine some advice on writing awhile back, his novel piece of advice (no pun intended) was to sit my butt down and write.  Often.  I have an almost constant stream of thoughts that dance around in my head, and wish there was a technology that could retrieve the much more eloquent thoughts that tango around.  Maybe my tech savvy kids will figure out how to do that one day? Would be so much more efficient than typing.  Until then....I will sit down, and write.  Often.Saturday mornings are allotted to long training runs when preparing for a race.  This year, my stretch goal is Marine Corps Marathon (in October).  Until then, I have a couple of half marathons to keep me on track.  While I really do look forward to the meditative state that accompanies the increasing miles leading up to a race, there are days when motivation wains.  Waking up this past weekend to less than 15 degrees (before the wind chill was factored in) and a really difficult long training run the week prior, motivation was low.  Still, I woke up, texted my friend Toya (one of my favorite former running prodigies now turned into one of my running coaches) and prepared to meet for our 8 mile run.  It's still early in the training season....Looking strikingly similar to the Michelin man (many, many layers), we began our trek down a beautiful trail.  On one side of us, lovely houses.  On the other, a creek that continued to move with a melodic current.  Snow covered, the course offered a slight incline and little traction adding to the challenge for this run.Running for well over an hour, one can't help but come away with a few gnawing observations.  These were mine from the day...When running on a snow-covered trail, best to have yax tracks (gripper things that go on bottom of shoes.)  I did not bring them, and it felt like I was running on sand.  This is not my first winter run, so you'd think I'd have leaned by now.  Sigh.....  I'm sure I will repeat this mistake over and over again this winter and then remind myself to not do it again.  Insanity.  Yes, this is the definition.  Thank you Einstein.Just because it's cold outside, doesn't mean your body doesn't need water to drink on a long run.  Even if the contraption that holds the water looks like a "fanny pack" and brings flash backs to the 80's, still I need to bring water.  I drank copious amounts of fluids and never seemed to get re-hydrated on Saturday.  And no, the fluids were not all beer.  hahaha.No matter how many layers I wear in winter, my butt is still cold.  I can run without gloves for most of the run and my hands are sweaty, but my butt is still cold.  This is perplexing, as one would think there's "slightly" more padding on my butt than on my hands.  Hmmm....Maybe a research study is emerging on this phenomenon?Running with friends always makes the miles go by faster.  Period.Hills are my friend.  I love them.  Really.  I see hills, and something in my freakishly short legs propels me to push myself harder than on flat terrain.  I can't explain it, and science may offer no reasonable explanation other than the "little engine that could" syndrome.  We conquered Dutton Hill on Saturday, which felt like we had climbed Mt. Everest.  I beat Toya on the hill.  I can only boast because day in and day she can leave me in her dust with ease.....so Saturday, it was sweet victory! If only for a moment.Lastly, icicles happen.  Half way through the run, after a mile or so of thinking my head phones were caught in my hair and causing an irritating pulling from under my hat, I realized two things.  One.  I wasn't wearing head phones.  And two.  I had 2 inch thick icicles hanging from my hair.  2 inches.  From my hair.  Yes...this has happened before but it still caused me to spontaneously burst into laughter as I showed Toya my find.  In some way, it made me feel stronger.  Like a warrior.  The disappointment I'd been feeling over not being able to maintain the pace I'd set out for the training run no longer mattered as I chuckled thinking...... who else has 2 inch icicles hanging from their hair this morning?A hot shower.  Dry clothes.  Water.  Music.  All ease the discomfort from the bitterly cold run.  But the memory of the icicles, and friend that was with me as I discovered them, will by far outlast any internal struggles that met me on the course.  I would've taken a picture of the icicles but Toya's hands were frozen so she couldn't work a camera.  Until next time....and there will for sure be a next time.Quote for the day....."Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." Marcel ProustPeace......