the beginning

So I have decided that I must do something different for myself this year. I am going to be 35 and seem to be suffering from "the doldrums". I own two businesses, have two children, two dogs, a great husband, good friends.... in short, no good reason not to be just pleased as punch with my life. But somehow I manage to have this slight dissatisfaction, this sense that I am not doing enough with myself. So... one day this idea just popped into my head, what if I ran everyday for 365 days outside... in all weather... in all moods... what would that be like? Will my legs change? Will I be tired? How many pairs of running shoes will I go through? Will I begin to hate running? Will I get faster, better, stronger? What is it like to run in icy conditions or torrential rain? What about if I get a headache? These are just a few of the things that I thought about while trying to decide if I would really embark on this. I am already a runner. But I am an undisciplined runner and I am unfocused. I also am not very good at finishing projects after I start them. I'm pretty good at rationalizing backing out or slacking off; this is where the blog aspect comes in. Maybe if I make it known, my intention, make it public, that will help push me to stay with it, and better yet, to finish. Blogging about this goal(and hopefully having people respond and encourage) will hopefully make me stick with it to really push myself to accomplish it. I always perform better when external factors are in play. So... I guess we shall see...

Here are the parameters I have laid out for myself. I will run everyday for at least three miles or 30 minutes, whichever is more feasible that day. I will take one run a week over five miles, thereby logging well over 1000 miles in a year. Each quarter, I will run one race (5k and up). I will always run outside. I will keep track of my progress via this blog.

That's it. Sounds simple enough, right?
Well I am three days into this project, as I shall call it, and Mother Nature has decided an arctic blast will be a good way to begin. On January 1, it was chilly (about 32 degrees) but tolerable. I ran 4 miles in about 37 minutes. I forgot to bring my watch, so I am guessing about the time. There was some ice on the sidewalks from the snow we got the week before last and so it was a little slower than I was expecting, but overall pretty easy.

Day 2: 18 degrees, seriously cold! And I am notoriously wimpy about cold weather. In fact, I hate it. I moved to NC from Colorado to escape the cold. In Asheville, the average temperature in January is 40. 18 is ridiculous and with wind chill it felt more like 5. I bundled up and went. I ran for exactly 31 minutes, I will have to go clock the miles with my car because I am not sure how far I ran. I couldn't encourage myself to go anymore than that. My legs were cold and my nose hurt. I was so tired all evening afterward. I don't know if it was the cold or the previous two days of partying. Hard to tell...

Day 3: Again... ridiculously cold. I mean, seriously cold. The thermometer says 20 but it feels colder than yesterday. I bundled up again and planned on running for five miles. The first mile was the worst. My nose was so cold that I had to keep breathing into my shirt and trying to cover my nose. I wear glasses and they kept fogging up. It really was not pleasant. So the first mile was slower than my usual pace (somewhere between 9.15 and 9.30 a mile). After I got over the first mile, it didn't seem so bad. I had to tuck my hands, which were in gloves, into my jacket, but other than that it was pretty tolerable. If the wind kicked up, which it did occasionally, it bit at my cheeks and nose and slowed my pace a little. I think I ran with my shoulders hunched because they are pretty achy now. I ran the full five miles I intended and by the time I finished it didn't feel cold outside at all. I forgot a watch again, but by my cell phone, which I checked right before I left and when I returned, my time was 49 minutes, pretty slow. So... one more day down... 362 left to go....