Sunday, February 06, 2011

They call these ones "Character-Building"

Hubs and I were enjoying a quiet evening at home last night, constantly checking theweathernetwork.com (as usual) for our long run in the morning. There wasn't any snow in the forecast, so imagine our surprise when it started coming down like crazy and continued non-stop for several hours.

It was not quite Snowmageddon Part 2, but we ended up with a generous dumping of the white stuff, resulting in extremely sloppy roads the next morning.

Didn't we have enough of this stuff already??



It was s-l-o-w g-o-i-n-g on the run. I often felt that we were moving more backwards than forwards and every step took an enormous amount of effort. Some roads were somewhat cleared, but the footing was still treacherous for the entire run. It was exhausting and one of the toughest 20-milers I have run to-date.


Not my pic, but you get the idea

Thankfully, I had some great company to keep me going and we whined our way through it together.

The temperature was on the mild side (only slightly below freezing) and I was actually comfortable in just a long sleeve race tee and light wind jacket. It was a treat not to be bulked up in countless layers, but the warmer weather also meant that the snow was wet and heavy and messy, adding slush and puddles to the fun.

As the title of this post says, it was one of those character building runs. And as always, we got it done.

The reward was sweet:


And that is just about all I have to say about that!

29 comments:

Unknown said...

YUMMM!
I just blogged about sparkly pink donuts...they are the BEST reward:).
Seriously, I can't believe you ran 20 miles in that snow. YOU are so tough.

Marci said...

I want that donut!! I did my long run Sat, and ran in trails today, but you must have gotten it worse than us, it snowed in Whitby, but roads were clear, that must have been brutal for 32K!

Laura said...

That's funny...I just used the term character building as well....as in my character is fine and doesn't need building!
Today was brutal. My feet actually hurt from trying to grip on my footing.

Katie A. said...

4th!!! LOL!
Hey lady!
You are amazing! I was complaining about my 75 degree weather today, I promise I won't anymore! I hope the snow lets up soon, you are so in need of a break!
Have a great week!

ajh said...

Yeah my run today was pretty similar though not as long! So I guess my character got built today too! Yeah!

Angie said...

Wow! You ran 20 miles in the snow?? That must have been tough!! Great job! That's very impressive!

Anonymous said...

great job on ur run. ya it was pretty mild this weekend, but there sure was a lot of the white stuff!

MCM Mama said...

I'm such a wimp - I never would have managed 20 miles in snow.

Way to go!

Jen Feeny said...

We both had Tim Hortons on Saturday! :) LOL! Great job out there girl! When will this weather go away?!?!

Marky Mark said...

Very true about the temperature-the roads were a mess and had it been a bit colder in a way it would have been easier to run. But 20 miles in these conditions is a feat!

Nicole said...

I cant do it. Running in the snow is like running in quick sand... i want to die!

ShutUpandRun said...

That run sounds ridiculous. You def deserved a dozen of those donuts at the end. Way to get it done!!

Jill said...

Um...the last picture makes it ALL worth it. PErfect. The snow pictures are BEAUTIFUL, buT I can't imagine running in that!

Richelle said...

Have I mentioned before how much I love Tim Horton's? Because I do! What a great reward for a tough run!

Julie D. said...

of course you got it done! Great job! Nice reward too!

Kim (Book Worm Runs) said...

Yummy, donut and chocolate milk! Two of may favorite things :) Way to get out there...you are so tough!!

lish said...

Great job getting that running in....The snow in Ontario this year has been unreal....mmm...donuts and chocolate milk! Perfect...you deserved it!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

You are hardcore. I would have looked at that snow and hit the 'mill.

Johann said...

You are tough, well done with that run! Character building for sure, but so worth it. Have a good week!

Unknown said...

OK, can I be like you when I grow up? LOL! Way to get out there and get it done!

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey

J said...

I have not had tim hortons in FOREVER! i just got some coupons so I may have to reward myself this week! Great job on the long run!

RunKathyRun said...

You are a freakin rock star; I am so impressed with your training regime. You will absolutely kill your next marathon!

Runners Fuel said...

YUM!! I love donuts. You desrved it after that run!

Emily said...

congrats and now I'm hungry for donuts like whoa.

Denise said...

i know how hard it is to run in the snow and am inspired you did 20 in that!! nice job!

dawn @ running the dawn said...

ok, so it sounds like you and i were on the EXACT same run this weekend!!! your words sound just like mine...makes me feel comfortable knowing that even when i seem alone, there are others toughing it out too!

i totally agree that it was nice to have fewer layers on, but whenever i tried to run up a hill i felt like i slid back with every step i tried to take forward...

Pretend this is real said...

Wow! Great job getting through such a treacherous 20 miler! Not sure I could have done that one.

Lindsay said...

Yum. Although I ate more than you so now I feel fat. Fatter, whatever.

EndorphinBuzz said...

Wow. I should have read this while I was in the Caribbean, I would've engineered missing my departure ;) Back in Canada now and I have to face the cold and snow for another few weeks :)