Taking Back My Minnesota Winter

So it's no secret to this blog that winters aren't a whole lot of fun for me. I thrive on sunshine, warm weather, green grass, and leaves. In the winter, my body just wants to hibernate.

In an effort to remember what summer is like, Steve and I took a trip to Cozumel last week. The first day of our vacation, Steve went on a 6 miler with me. It was our first real run together in years. It was sunny and HOT! The goal was for me to hold a tempo pace and Steve to take it easy. We made it out just fine, but I was pushing without having any idea of what kind of pace we were running. My brain gets really thrown off when the thermometer starts to climb. On the way back, I was really hurting. Not sure if it was the heat, our unknown pace, or I'm just plain out of shape, but I had to stop and walk for a few minutes on the way back. I started feeling pretty terrible, and when I checked my heart rate, it was 200. Gulp! Day 2 in Cozumel was spent on the recumbent bike before laying by the pool and enjoying the latest issue of Inside Triathlon. On day 3, I had a long run on the books, and although Cozumel is relatively safe, I didn't think running by myself along the road was a good idea, so I hit the resort's treadmill. For. Twelve. Miles. With CNN in Spanish on the TV. It was a very long first hour. Thankfully we found the remote and discovered that triathlon was on ESPN. I lifted weights one day, but the rest of the week, I let hiking, walking, and snorkeling be my substitute workouts. I'd still be there if I could be :)

Coming back was a rude awakening. Even though it was rainy the last couple of days that we were down there, 0 degrees as the week's high temp was not exactly welcome back to MN weather. I guess we picked a good week to be gone! Work was also waiting for me. I worked SUPER long hours this weekend and every day the rest of this week. Tuesday was only a half day, though, so in an effort to take back my winter, I strapped on my new X country skis and walked the 2 blocks to our local golf course. It was a 90 minute workout that felt nothing like work! I saw powdery snow, only a few other people, and some ducks swimming in the heated pond. I may just have to go back every chance I get.

My third effort to take back my winter will happen this weekend. The St. Paul Winter Carnival Half Marathon is Saturday. Temps are supposed to be below 0 with a -30 wind chill. We're supposed to find out tomorrow whether the race is even still on. I'll keep you posted!