Here Comes The Cold

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people." - Bill Bowerman

The arctic air is closing in. Snow, rain, wind. Never the conditions the runner wants to hear on the news on Friday before a long run. Knowing what's on the way, I stretched today's miles to 8.5, leaving 6.5 for Sunday when the snow is supposed to set in. With any kind of luck it will be the kind of snow you can run in, but this is Oregon. It isn't likely.

I suppose someone from Michigan would laugh at such a statement. They surely can't fathom how inept we are in our cars out here when it snows. But webfeet have never been well suited to slippery sidewalks, and since the snow is so scarce, we don't have treadmills either.

I don't mind the rain. Even today, with 40° temperatures and some snowflakes in with the huge drops, I was happy. I shared a goofy grin with a fellow runner (as the rain pelted us sideways and the cars rushed by the intersection) - only us runner types get it, I think. But the snow, that's a different story. I get whiny, I get lazy, I get addicted to sitting in front of the fireplace.

But this weekend, I'm going to try something different. I'm going to push my comfort level, I'm not going to be soft, and I'm going to try to get those miles in one way or another. If that means I'm practically snowshoeing down the walk, so be it. If it means slipping and sliding over the ice, so be it. As long as I'm not going to injure myself, I will do it. So bring it on, weather system. I'm ready.