My 5:00 alarm woke me from an all too rare deep sleep, and I instantly regretted not letting myself sleep for another hour-and-a-half.  But I was up, so I pulled on my running tights, a long-sleeve dry fit shirt, a fleece, a hat and my new Brooks Adrenalines.  It was 31 degrees outside, but it felt colder.  Back in October I wrote an entry complaining about the hot weather extending into the fall, but this March has been unusually cold.  Yesterday I watched brief snow flurries out of my office window, which is unusual for an Atlanta March.  The calendar rarely meets my expectations, except in July and August when I can say with certainty that it will be oppressively hot. 

I ran my standard 7.2 mile run in an hour, two minutes slower than last Thursday’s run.   Last Thursday my legs had spring and I finished strong.  This morning my legs were dead and I felt exhausted from the start.  Instead of profound reflections on God, life and the meaning of it all, I found myself working through the issues I expect to encounter today.  Some days are like that.  But I’m still glad that I ran.

The ING Half Marathon is now only 5 days away, and I think I’ll only run once more before then.  I should be more intentional and educated about training for these races, but I basically run when I can and hope for the best.  For now I am healthy, fit and looking forward to the race. 

As an aside, I link here to an interview with one of my partners.  She’s an elite marathoner and recently qualified for the Olympic trials.  She has two young kids, does what I do, and still manages to run at an elite level.  I’m fresh out of excuses.