First Day Of Spring…

…was several days ago.

But, Sunday was MY first day of spring.

Weather reports all week were calling for the first truly nice day of the year…and it would be on a weekend. Mid 50’s. Sunny. Light breeze.

For months, I have been trapped indoors. Polar Vortex. Wind chill down to -70. Icy roads. Blizzards.

I was nervous running on slippery roads since I injured my ankle last winter. So, mostly the dreadmill and indoor track since early November. I have competed in 3 outdoor races and one 10k training run in that time. All painfully cold.

But, Sunday would be different. Sunday would be wonderful.

I watched the forecast all week. It wasn’t changing. Blizzard or torrential rain for Monday (depending on the temperature, we might get a foot of snow). But Sunday was still on.

Got up Sunday morning. Beautiful sunshine. A little cool (but above freezing…snow melting all night) and it was going to warm up.

I had my coffee and breakfast and had a nice mellow morning.

Above 50 degrees by noon. Sun was high in a cloudless sky. Time to move. Needed to experiment with layers (it had been awhile). Ended up with long tights, compression long sleeve top, long sleeve T. Perfect.

Goal was simple…run until my legs fall off. On a day like this, it would be worth it. Marathon coming up and I was peaking. Wanted 20+ miles.

A flood of emotions. Birds were starting to come out out and could hear them singing. Sun on my face. Endorphins pumping.

I wasn’t fast. I didn’t care. I was free.

Twenty-three miles and still feeling strong.

Blizzard and cold have now replaced to warm sunny day. I don’t care. I has a taste of what I will experience over the next several months.

This is why I love to run…