20 Miles Done, It's Taper Time Baby

While I did say the other day that that I have become more fond of the treadmill this winter, I am not fond enough to want to do a 20 miler on it. So when I woke up and found it already snowing (and a whopping 10 degrees) this morning, I was determined to head outside anyway. Besides, the rest of the week is going to be even colder and snowier.

I won't lie, the first few miles were miserable. My fingers and toes were painfully cold and I was constantly cursing the quickly moving traffic as I had to run in the road. I was trying to decide how much of my run I was going to force myself to do outside before I called my hubby to come rescue me and take me to the gym. I decided to do at least 14 so I wouldn't have to run more than an hour on the treadmill.

But around mile 8 I realized that I needed to modify my route. The side streets were still a slippery, snowy mess so I needed to stay on the main road. I headed myself out towards the end of Black Point. This was my favorite part of the run. There was hardly any traffic, the snow was falling softly around me, and the scenery was pretty spectacular. I was cold yes, but then I saw something that totally changed my perspective- surfers. For real, 3 people were out on this cold, snowy day surfing! At least I wasn't in the water!

When I turned around at Black Point, I was at 10 miles, by the time I made it back onto what I had planned as my original route, I was at 14. At that point, I figured I might as well just finish it out on the roads. I knew it would feel so much better if I was all done when I got home, than if I needed to go finish at the gym. And I did. It was a great feeling to walk back into the house knowing I had completed my last long run of this training cycle!

It constantly amazes me how I am able to just put my head down, keep my feet moving, and just finish these long runs given that I waste so much time and energy worrying about them beforehand and during the early stages of the run. Why do I still doubt myself? It is hard, yes. It's really hard. But I have proven to myself many times that I can do it.

So now it is taper time baby. To celebrate my wonderful husband gave me an early Valentine's gift- an edible arrangement! Seriously people, I have wanted one of these FOREVER. I think they are the coolest! I promptly opened up that sucker and did quite a number on it.

What are you training for right now? Do you look forward to the taper or dread it? Have you ever gotten an edible arrangement- what is your favorite fruit?