Time to shut up and put up!

I have decided that there is no turning back at this point; I will not get back on the treadmill this season. Although the temperatures have plummeted again, I am adamant that Spring is here. Although Spring doesn't officially start till Wednesday, I am still annoyed that it snowed yesterday. I wasn't going to let it get me down. I put on double layers, zipped up my windbreaker, pulled my balaclava up over my nose, and I was ready to take on the roads. I looked fairly comical, but I was determined to run outdoors, and as I've warned before, you've gotta check your shame at the door, people!

I am the purple running ninja.

I was miserable from the first step out the door. I had shin splints today, and my face was burning from the wind despite my balaclava. I have a little charm on my shoe that reads, "Running for Grandma," to remind me when I get tired that I am dedicating my marathon this fall to my Grandma. I kept telling myself that my grandma went through things so much worse than running 6 miles in the cold, but then I clearly heard my grandma's voice in my head. I heard her saying, "Now Michelle, you just go on home." I only heard my grandma raise her voice in reprimand once in my entire life. (Of course directed at my brother, not me.) We always knew she meant business when she started a sentence with "now," so I went home.

I finished off my workout at the gym, but I still refused to get on the treadmill. I hopped on the elliptical with a fast paced playlist blaring through my headphones. My legs were screaming around 2.5 miles, and I wanted to stop again already, but I realized that a certain point you have to just shut up and put up. I decided to block out the voices in my head, and knock out the rest of my 6 miles. Sometimes it's the small victories that amount to the most in the long run, but one thing is for sure, I cannot wait for Spring to show up for good!