So I titled this blog, "Confessions of a Summer Runner" because I am a pretty dedicated runner, when the weather is nice. Historically, I do a lot of running between the months of March and October, and very little the other four months of the year. This is because I don't like to run when it's cold, and especially when it's cold and windy. It worked OK for me before though, because living in Southern California, there were plenty of warmish sun shiny days between October and March to keep my legs up, and I had a treadmill in the house for the days that were too yucky to be outside. My running also took a back seat to my busy schedule as a teacher and mom of three, unfortunately resulting in almost no running during the busiest parts of the school year.
This summer, due to my husband's career, my family moved to central Minnesota. It's beautiful and amazing here and we love it. But here we are in October, not even Halloween, and it's already in the 30s!! We've already seen snow flurries! This is serious winter weather for me coming from California, but I realize that it's nothing compared to what is coming.
So my challenge to myself this year is to NOT let the schedule slip. I don't have a teaching job right now, and although I plan to start working, it won't be the type of job that requires as many at home hours of planning as teaching does, so I should still be able to keep up a schedule. Now the real challenge is, how in the heck do people keep a running routine going in a Minnesota winter? I didn't have room in the truck to bring my treadmill, so I gave it away to a dear friend- which I am actually glad I did, because it forced me to join a gym and actually go use it. I have already met other moms by taking the step and spin classes at the gym. I hate using treadmills in gyms, so I've been doing all of my running outside. But I know there will come a point when it's just too cold, and I'll have to drudge the time out inside. So be it.
Last year I ran several 5k races and I LOVED it! The camaraderie I found at the races with friends and my family who came was sooo much fun. For two of the races I ran with my hubby and daughters, and we had such a blast! But even the few I did alone were fun and it gave my training a sense of purpose when I knew I had a race ahead of me. There are a lot of races in this area in the spring and summer, but understandably, none during the winter, so I will have to keep myself going until the racing season comes around again.
So the goal: Keep up the the training schedule that I started over the summer. This is 2-3 cross training classes at the gym per week. Running 3-4 days per week, averaging 5 miles each run, so 15-20 miles per week.
I'll try to run outside as much as I can, but I will have to learn all about how to stay warm in low temperatures, because I have 0 experience in this. And if I'm not sure, I'll run inside because safety and health overrides everything else.
In the process, I hope to boost my fitness level and lose some extra pounds that I gained during teaching. I also hope to meet some other fun ladies who like to run, and maybe even create a group that runs together and keeps each other motivated during the long cold winter.
