Running in less than idea conditions

It's snowing. It's May 1st. Mother nature has turned against the state of Minnesota. She dangled 80 degree days in front of us, we embraced them, then she slapped us with 39 & snow to welcome us to May. The month where the sun creeps higher in the sky, the flowers burst through the ground, the tress bud... you get the picture.

This weather has been the biggest strain and test of my training. Today was a victory, for the past  month I've been raising my hands in defeat, but no more

Funny things happen when you turn a blind eye to the conditions and go out on your run any way. You start to tell yourself the headwind slowing you down is only resistance serving to strengthen your legs and carry you faster and further when there is no wind. The snow or rain hitting your face telling you to turn around teaches you to work through those inner voices telling you to quit so when its not snowing or raining you're less likely to listen to them. Eventually you hit your stride, be it half a mile in or 2 miles in and the world around you fades. You may feel the sharp pain of a breeze hitting your exposed skin or an errant snowflake crashing down on your nose, but overall you develop a personal bubble. The bubble protects you from what is going on around you, all you feel is your muscles contracting and relaxing carrying you forward. You feel your breath in and out, your heart pumping oxygenated blood around your body. The thoughts telling you to stop change their tune, instead telling you to go just that little bit further. They tell you to correct your posture, relax your shoulders. All in all, the run that wasn't supposed to happen, happens.

Some of my best runs came from days I told myself not to go out the door. Today was that day. I felt joy. I felt misery but most of all I felt the exhilaration of earning my badass points and getting out the door when every fiber of my being was trying to tell me to skip it.

So, don't wait for ideal conditions. Step out the door. Drop your expectations and just let your legs carry you as far as they want to. Amazing things can happen if you let them.