A Bad Run Outside

I've said it before, and I'm thinking it today: A bad run outside trumps a good run inside (sorry, but that verb works best here).

Only part-way through my first mile. I'm sorely tempted to turn around and complete the planned 18-miler on the mill. The cold wind is bracing, and I'm just not motivated. What's the point, I wonder, of suffering like this in this never-ending winter. Well aware that I'll hate the mill even more, I may, in fact, just call it a day completely.

The worst part is that I'm moving so slowly that you almost couldn't even call it a run. At this pace - and I know it won't get much better - I won't come close to making my mileage goal.

Then a couple funny things happen. As I am recalling my 'bad run outside' mantra, I also think about my friend Larry Orwin, who can't run at all due to severe injuries. Larry loves running as much as I do, and this hiatus is killing him as it would me, So now I decide to stay out a little longer, and to not feel too sorry for myself. Okay, so it's cold, I now think, at least I'm moving, and I'm even doing something I claim to enjoy.

The funniest thing to happen occurs just as the snow begins: I actually DO begin to enjoy the run.

Do I complete the desired mileage? Not even close. Can I consider this a quality run? Ha. But did I get some measure of joy out of it - more than I'd have gotten on the mill? You bet!