23 Days and Counting - Thursday, December 15th

I was finally able to workout this evening at the gym. I had a pretty good workout, but it was my standard routine. I ran then I did my strength training exercises then I stretched. At any other time this year, I would have been very pleased with my workout this evening. But because the big race is less than 23 days away, I was not happy. I don't have the capacity to push myself when I'm running indoors. Because I've been forced to train indoors so often lately I've come to realized that running on a treadmill, in general, is boring and tedious. Running on a treadmill for more than an hour is absolute torture! Even with my iPod, I can't stand it! I use to love winter, but I'm starting to hate this weather. It's really impacting my training. I need to be outside, running through the urban jungle with the wind in my hair and the world at my feet. But this evening the wind would have been replaced with freezing rain and the urban jungle was more like the frozen tundra and the only thing at my feet would have been frost bite.

Mental note: No more winter races.

I was totally prepared to get into the habit of waking up early and going running in the cold, pre-dawn hours before work. This is something I never though I would do, but I decided that this was the best time for me to train. I was ready for the harsh elements, but I wasn't ready for the fact that winter came early this year. In this area, December is usually cold, but fairly dry. Unfortunately this year, we've had snow, sleet or rain every week since Thanksgiving. I was OK running on the sidewalk or the street in the dark when they were dry, but many of the sidewalks are still iced over from the first storm and the streets refreeze overnight and I'm afraid I'll slip and fall. I'm really clumsy. How do people who live in snowy places like Denver and Chicago train outdoors in the winter? Inquiring minds want to know.

The race is less than 22 days away and I'm starting to freak out. It's like I don't care about Christmas or New Years. My friends who know me will be lucky if I remember to wish them a Merry Christmas. All I can think about is this stupid race and how badly I'm going to suck. FYI: I've started eating candy again. I quit for a while, but I find I need the sugar fix now a days. I'm looking at a box of Dots now. Two weeks ago it was a bag of Spice Drops. I think I polished off a bag of red and green Christmas bells last week. Thank God I hate Chocolate or the bowl of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Peppermint Patties from the book club would be gone by now.

I'll get back into Weight Watchers in January. I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't lost any either. My eating habits have gone south. It's really sad. I'm planning on giving up soda and candy for New Years again. And I'm talking all soda, including diet sodas. Diet Lime Coke and Hot Tamales does not a good dinner make.

Oh, and if you're wonder how registering for Winter classes is going, that's a whole 'nother story.

Later