Old photo. Same running outfit. So it’s LIKE new photo.

So, apparently we are facing yet another week of freezing temperatures and icy sidewalks. SO MUCH FUN.

Here’s how my weekend went:

Saturday: I had missed my track work, but last time I did track work the day before a long run, it wasn’t pretty. I decided to do the “optional” run Andie has scheduled for me every Saturday. It was so ugly. I hated every second of this run and almost had a break down multiple times, especially early on. But I told myself to just keep running. It worked. I never hit the runner’s high — hell, I never reached a point where I wasn’t hating every second — but I got a decent little run in and didn’t cry. Just keep running. There’s meaning in there, I know it.

When I got home, I did yoga in my kitchen, a 60-minute yoga for runners podcast. I think part of the reason these past two weeks have been so hard is that I haven’t been doing enough yoga. There’s a million reasons for this, but it was a good reminder that if I want to survive this training cycle with my body and mental state in tact, I need more yoga.

Sunday: Long run day! I had a late night on Saturday (not one, but two birthday parties! I am a party animal.), so I had planned for an afternoon run. Then I woke up and it was snowing. A lot. Changed my plans and went out right away. It was a tough run, with the wind and the snow, but it was okay. I settled into a groove. Running is weird like that: the longer the run or the worse the condition, I’m more accepting of the circumstance. I think it’s all mental. (I also think it helps I get to run slooooow, haha.) Now if I can only get more accepting of speedwork…

When I got home, I did a 30-minute yoga for runners podcast and suffered through the entire thing. I’m beginning to think long runs + yoga isn’t the best combination. So yes to more yoga — just not on long run days.