Thanksgiving morning I found myself not with coffee, mimosa or eggnog in hand, but rather running the streets of Queens and Roosevelt Island in the cold and rain. A logical question to pose here would be...Why?I'll get to that shortly but first a little back story.
During Wednesday night speed work I had made arrangements to meet Matthew W. for an 8:00AM run Thanksgiving morning. Nothing serious, just a few easy miles before the tryptophan-induced lethargy of Thanksgiving turkey. However when I woke, I woke to a near freezing downpour and thought to myself, "self, you don't really want to go out there..." So I emailed Matthew W. looking for a way out.
On Nov 23, 2006, at 6:42 AM, Josh Morphew wrote:
Matthew,
Given the lousy weather, I am inclined to not run this AM. What do you think? My cell is XXX-XXX-XXXX.
-Josh
Four minutes later Matthew W's one sentence response:
On Nov 23, 2006, at 6:46 AM, Matthew W wrote:
You can't BQ if you don't make the sacrifices....
Needless to say Matthew's Boston Qualifier reference not only got me out the door but also gave me a psychological push. If I can get up and out the door on a cold and wet Thanksgiving morning then I'll certainly have no excuses when training actually begins later this winter.
While running in the rain I commented that the running muses will surely look favorably on us. And indeed they did. The weather on Friday, Saturday and in particular today was fabulous for running. Dressed in shorts and a technical t-shirt I felt like I could run forever. And my iPod turned out a killer playlist.
Thanks for the push Matthew.
"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
PS - Check back soon for more details on the forthcoming competition.
12 comments:
Hardcore! Good for you:)
It makes the runs in the nice weather that much more enjoyable.
I've also found running in cold rain as compared to snow/cold temperatures the worse of the evils.
good work! what is the BQ time for a bloke your age btw?
good for you! it was just a little moisture and temporary cold.
Where are those Running Muses? I need to make some offerings ...
You should have come out to Eastern Queens where I got in a good 5 mile run at 8:30am on Thurs. morning - and made it back to the parkhouse just before the downpour.
Didn't you feel like a badass once you were out there and warmed up? I motivated that day as well (albeit not until noon!) and shared a bunch of conspiratorial nods with the other hardy runners out splashing through the puddles in the park.
what a great friend to have - keep him!
i wanna hear more about the competition :)
Forthcoming competition? . . . hmmm . . .
great job getting out to run - sometimes just a little inspiration goes a long way
That's what I love about training and running with others. Sometimes, it just takes a little. Way to get out there!
Uptown - I totally agree the rain is much worse than the snow!
Yvonne - Thanks. For a bloke like me a BQ is a 3:10. All I can say is... Gulp!
Deene - You're right in the end it was a great run.
Just12 - The muses live on the streets! Pay homage! LOL
Debbie - Nice timing!
Chelle - Yes! That badass hardcore feeling is great. As is the nod to like minded (crazy!) runners.
Steph - Good idea. I think I shall.
NYFG - be cool - It's coming!
Ginger - Yup you are right. A little nudge is a great thing.
JustRun - It is good to have a running buddy. Thanks!
Money often costs too much. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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