Outdoors

I personally love going to the gym. I like running on the treadmill. I like knowing my pace and my time and my distance exactly. I like that sometimes I can watch shows on cable that I can't watch at my own house. I don't care how superhuman other runners think they are just because they slog through the sleet and the rain and the dark and the cold. Good for them! I mean that sincerely. I felt like a total stud back in the TNT days when I'd be getting up at 7 a.m. on the weekends and trekking through the Michigan winter elements. Now I say: Been there, done that, worn the t-shirt.

These days if I'm going to run outside, it's got to be at least close to 40 degrees and there's gotta be daylight. I'm a cute young thang (or so I tell myself) and I don't need to invite danger with carelessness. Well yesterday I ran outside for the first time in 2009. As I was driving home from work, the rain was falling in big, loud, sloppy, punctuating drops. I was having some serious doubts. Then I got to my house and the good forces of nature turned a bright eye to my plans. I had a newly purchased heel lift, a decent playlist and the energy that comes from being excited about changing my routine a tiny bit.

I mapped out my route on mapmyrun.com and figured I'd be happy with at least three miles. I think I did about 3.3 in the end. Mostly the route was okay. At times, the slush on the roads was calcified and it was a bit slick. I was trying to be extra vigilant.The thought of breaking my leg or ankle was definitely something I did not want to happen. So besides that iced-over slush, it was a pretty enjoyable run. Go me!