Total Protonic Reversal

After a long, dark winter I emerge into the light.

Actually, winter wasn’t that long this year. But it felt dark. But here it is, mid March. Just six days before Ostara, a pagan celebration of the returning spring. A good time to take up my running again.

Though Ostara is about the awakening after the earth, growing plants, and animals feelin' the need to get their freak on.

For me it feels more like coming out of hibernation. A really whiny hibernation.

I was not this cute.

I don't hate winter. I know the seasons are necessary. When I was a kid I loved playing in the snow. But I'm 43 years old now. The cold isn't fun anymore. The cold hurts. I will observe the snow from inside and maybe occasionally take a walk in it, if the temperature and the wind chill aren't too bitter. But run?

I was more like this. Fuck you, winter.

I could not face it over the winter. The cold, the bitter cold. I feel the cold so deeply, it seems. Even swathed in enough layers to make an Inuit jealous I still felt the cold. It made me so cranky. Really nasty, whiny, MEAN cranky. It just wasn't worth it. And no, I didn't pay money to go run on a treadmill somewhere. I don't have money to spend on that. Even the really cheap places.

"All right, I'm UP! Where's my damn coffee!"

But now it's SPRING! I’m starting the Couch to 5K program again, easing myself into it. Last year I started at the very end of May. This year I’m getting a jump on it.

Week One/Day One today. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that my pace hasn’t really fallen off much since completing the program the first time last July. Go me!

On your feet, soldier!