Why I tri.....

Ok folks, I want to give you all a little background on this entry by stating that I came in about 3 hours ago after running 6 miles in 9 degree Fahrenheit weather with a windchill of -3. That's right NEGATIVE three...

I don't know if many of you have ever experienced negative three weather, but if you have any exposed skin, it feels as though it is burning. This is a recovery week for me right now, but as I was running these 6 miles, I thought to myself, "the only thing I want to do is run faster so I can get these miles over with...my face is going to freeze solid!" Unfortunately I had to run them in zone 2 and that was 8 minute per mile pace this time of year. Not fun. For those non-math types out there, that was 48 minutes in the negative three degree cold.

Now a post without a picture is a boring one, so I ran inside after I was finished and grabbed my camera, take a gander at these two beautiful winter running "head shots":

Yes that is ice on my goatee...like a quarter inch of ice....

I guess the reason that I am smiling so much in the bottom photo is that I was the only one crazy enough to try and navigate the streets of downtown Rochester today. There were no other footprints in the street and I saw no one for those 48 minutes who was running. I guess I was the only one crazy and with enough dedication to run today.

It makes me smile because when I am in a race, I might think of today and know that the person that is right in front of me, or the person slowly gaining on me, probably wasn't out training today in the snow and wind. They were probably indoors watching TV curled up around a mug of hot cocoa. I can only hope that the memory of today makes me stronger when I need it the most.

This my peoples, as a Bolder person would say, is why I tri... I do triathlons not only to challenge myself from day to day, but to get out there and convince myself that if someone places better than me in a race, then they really earned it. They must have trained more or been out there TWICE as long as I was on the coldest of days.

Triathlon is my negative three degree day, its tough , but once you get out there and do it, you have the bragging rights forever. Cheers friends.