In Like a Lion

With the start of March, my mindset began to shift out of the deep winter chill and lean toward the start of spring. Even though it felt like February would never end and that my workouts suffered because of the hideous winter weather, February really wasn’t as bad (mileage-wise) as I thought it was going to be. But with the start of March, I felt hope, rejuvenation, freshness and renewal of spirit. I always have high hopes at the beginning of March that spring should begin immediately. Of course, in a year like this one with winter being what it was, spring wasn’t going to arrive on March 1st. So treadmill it has been for most of the month. I’ve been doing well with my mileage, and I’m hopeful I will hit the 100 mile mark for the month—my highest monthly total so far this year. Yippee! Things are looking up!

Even though the month has been pretty cold (still many days below freezing), I’ve been working hard to stay motivated. My pal Meg is a Beachbody coach, and she set up a Facebook group to Beat the Winter Blues through exercise, so I’ve had a nice little support group to keep me on track. Also this season to get on track and stay there, I gave up wine & beer (any alcohol really) which has helped keep my calories down and snacking at bay. A welcome change from the food and drink train we started on back in Maui. :) Now that March is nearly done, I feel lighter, healthier and ready for the running season. As an added bonus, while I was at the gym a few Sundays ago, a woman who was running on the treadmill saw me arrive and she told me that I was her running motivation. That made me feel like a little super star. Thanks, girl at the gym!

Just this week I caught a cold, sidelining me for a couple of days. It made me think of ending March as the old “out like a lamb” cliche. I took two rest days and then got right back out there and ran a 5 miler OUTSIDE! The temps reached an acceptable level so that I could stand it, and it felt great. Two days in a row now I’ve been able to take to the streets. Huzzah! I’m looking forward to many more. And now I’m just a scant 8 miles from my hundred mile month. With six days to go, I’m pretty sure I’ll make it.