The chill

My headlamp hasn't been turned on for 10 months, but I put it on tonight, perfect for illuminating the imperfections of my favourite waterfront path. I've been waiting for some real winter, hoping this season will live up to its promise.

January and February are the months that I need to build a proper spring marathon. It's when I start rebelling against those early nights and instead embrace the lonely trails. These are the most memorable runs I'll ever do. Snow, wind, they add grit to the simple workout regimen.

I suppose January is the year everyone makes resolutions. They say they'll eat better, work out more, set course for the next 12 months. I'm typically wary of such grand goals, I keep mine simple. Run, then run again, and when you've recovered from that, hit the roads once more.

Me, I've got Around the Bay in two months, a marathon in four. And I've got miles to run before I'm in battle shape.

Today marked my 14th straight day on the roads. Add another week, I'm well on my way to reforming a habit. When it comes to running, habits and training happen on a schedule. You can't give in to 'not feeling up to it'. That doesn't belong on a runner's calendar.

The wind gusts that swept through Toronto early Sunday morning still had a some strength on Sunday morning. I was not happy to see 50km/h winds on the forecast, gusts of up to 90km. Yet I knew I signed up for it by doing a 'short' 8K on Saturday, when the weather was near perfect.



An hour later, heading west toward Humber, I tried to tune out the distance as I barely moved against that headwind. A pack of runners were making speed toward me, and I was so jealous of them with the wind at their back. In all, I put up with the pain, and 22 kilometres later, I was loving the tailwind, enjoying the sun, savouring the cold, embracing winter.

That is what a painful headwind looks like.

There will be worse days, days when I'll be trudging through snow that turns into slush then into malformed patches of ice. Days when sucking in air freezes your lungs.

This week, the temperatures are starting to fall. Today, after 13 straight days of putting in the miles, I did think about taking a rest day.

[h/t Runner's World]

 4.8 miles in 39 minutes.