A fellow runner, and favorite blogger of mine, @fueledbylolz posted an interesting topic on her blog recently. In response to a blog challenge Hollie wrote about the “One Mistake She Was Glad She Made.”

From Hollie’s post:  “The feeling of failure can be one of the hardest emotions to come to terms with. However, if you can learn from a mistake, it’s hard to consider the mistake a failure.  We all live, and we all make mistakes.”  You can read more of her post by clicking here. 

After reading her post, I took a glance back at my running career and considered some of my running and racing mistakes.

(Not me, but racing a deer could be a mistake)

To Fast To Injury:  When I first introduced speedwork to my weekly routine, I LOVED it.  So much so that I ran a hard speedwork session every Wednesday, come rain or shine and regardless of my long runs. This overzealous focus on speed did not last long.  During a long run after a hard speed day I noticed a burn deep inside my right thigh, centered and right above my knee.

Water Stop Foley’s:  During the Air Force Marathon I was gunning for a sub four hour finish, it would be my second. My plan was to follow the 3:50 pacer and follow the pack to success.  My plan also called for me to stop at every other aid/water stop for a quick drink and a short walk to keep my legs fresh for the push after the wall.  Unknowingly the effort it took for me to catch back up with the 3:50 pacer after the water stops slowly taxed my legs to the point that I could no longer keep up.

The Pain and Agony of Manland:  On one long run, I forgot all about chafing prevention…The pain in “manland” after 20+ miles was something they write songs about.

(The arrow, stuck in the middle with you)

Zing and Zagged To Defeat:  During my second half-marathon I lined up in back of the pack of a very crowded starting corral. When the gun went off I panicked when the runners around me were moving slow. I worried that I would lose to much time during the opening miles.  In response, I began to pick and move through the crowd by bouncing side to side as I zing and zagged my way to a better position.  I felt good about my maneuvering until the mid way point of the race when my legs went flat.  It was a real struggle to finish.

With every run, race or training adventure, we learn something…a mistake is an opportunity to grow.  As Hollie asked:

What is one mistake you are glad you made?
Has an injury taught you something recently?

Some people like it cold.

Some people like it hot.

“Roses R red
Violets R blue
I hate ‪#‎running‬ in the cold
how about you….”

I’m hear to tell you I HATE running in the cold.  I can do it…and it takes a pretty crisp day to keep me inside, but I hate it.

The Five Reasons I Hate Running In The Cold.

1.  When the temperature drops, dressing for a run gets more challenging.  Do I wear shorts, tights, long pants, tights with long pants, long sleeve shirts, jacket, hats, gloves, ear muffs…all this extra stuff makes it hard to go for a simple run.

2.  My eyes water when it gets cold.  I look like I’m crying but its really the cold wind.

3.  My hands and ears get cold easy and quick.  When the temperature goes below 60f my hands/ears start to get cold.  I know people don’t like to be “sweaty” but sweat does not hurt, it down right hurts to be cold.

4.  If nature calls during a “cold” run…it is sometimes difficult to get through all the layers to ah well…take care of business.  Add in some cold hands and it can take your breath away…but that might be too much information.

5.  My noses runs…and I have a mustache, frozen bugger face is not pretty.

AND that is not even taking into consideration the risk of falling and busting my butt.

Do you like running in the cold…if not what do you hate?

The first wave of cold air has hit the east coast, and I hate it.  I should not complain, our cold snap delivered temperatures down into the teens over night while other parts of the country are buried under snow and below zero temps, yet still I hate it.  I was born and raised on the shores of Lake Erie, “the snow belt” where the average seasonal snow fall is well over 120 inches a year, yet I still despise the cold.  I lived through many a season where the lake nearly froze over, yet I have no tolerance for the cold.  I remember years where we broke the record for the number of days at zero Fahrenheit or below, yet I loaf the cold.

Are you a hot or cold weather runner?

As much as I hate cold weather running, I hear the same complaints around running during the summer.  Many people hate summer running, and the dogs days of July and August.  As for me I would much rather sweat than be cold.  If I had my choice, if I had my hand on the big thermostat I would much rather battle the sun, the high temps and high humidity then spend hours on end in the harsh, the icy cold, the bone chilling wind and muck of winter running.

In my opinion, sweat is better than frost bite.

Sunburn is better than chapped lips.

Sweat soaked running gear is better than five layers of high tech garb just to still be cold.

And a hot summer wind is much better than a skin wiping winter gale.

How about you do you like it HOT or Cold?