If you can't beat it, join it.

It's no secret that Denver has had its share of snow lately. 

That's 18"  in our back deck after the last snowfall.

 And, to be honest, I don't really mind it. It is fun to get snowed in every once in awhile. Considering that we have a sled hill in our back yard, and two ambitious, little men to entertain, we tend to make the days quite fun around here playing outside, skiing and sledding in our backyard, building igloos, drinking hot chocolate and chilling with books and board games when we are all tuckered out. Not to mention, when it is all over, we head to the mountains and take advantage of the snow that way, too.

That's us exploring the Mary Jane side of WP.
I give them till the end of this season till they totally
out ski Ross and I.

The fun never ends in the snow...

BUT today, today I had a busy day planned. I had a lot of goals to meet (in part to make up for the snow day and ski days we just took), BUT I figured out how to play "catch up" and meet all of those goals by following a certain schedule I put forth for myself. Even with the 1" of snow possibly predicted, I was all good. I had a plan. I was actually really proud of myself that I was going to achieve everything I wanted to and I was going to make it all happen.

Until I woke up and saw this...
 

See that my backyard bike path?

Yea, I don't either.

I got to my computer and got an email from my coach pertaining to a ride later that week (since the roads wouldn't be cleared) and he stated how "sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate with us". Yes. This would be one of those days. I think that what got me the most is that I had planned for what the weather peeps had said and was still SOL.

So what's a girl to do?

Most of you would say "hop on the treadmill". Not just because it's the obvious, indoor alternative to running, but also because I am known to be a little obsessed with the treadmill (running through the winters in Green Bay will do that to you. That is, if you aren't Alicia or Brad or Jim or some of the other crazy GB peeps).

But running on the treadmill wouldn't fit in with what I was planning for the day. If I did that, I would have to either give up (a) time with my kids before school or (b) a Crossfit workout... and I wasn't prepared to give up either.


I reassessed my plan. I had originally wanted to run bike paths to Crossfit - I could make it the perfect 7 mile route, allowing me to leave when the kids got on the bus AND give me a good 3-mile stretch in the middle of the run to hit my tempo goals for the workout. Now, I thought about how I could safely and effectively get to the gym, considering the weather and traffic, and came up with another route that would be mostly on sidewalks and side streets that would have been cleared from the last storm (or so I thought) and only fresh with a little new snow where my yak traks would come in handy (I have learned that yak trax are effective, but only in some terrain).

Off I went...

Running through my neighborhood, still a little unsure of things.

Once I got settled in, it was really fun. Mad props to the neighboring HOA who continually clears their sidewalks. Not so much props to mine... But, I ran and ran. It was slow, but fun. Frustrating not to be hitting the paces I normally hit, but I also thought about how I was creating power in my legs by working so hard tromping through the snow, instead of speed.(Yea, Crossfit was going to be fun after this.) I got to the point where I was supposed to start running "fast" and realized that running "fast" in the snow (and at this point uphill) was another definition of "fast". I let go of my expectations and just focused on enjoying the workout.

This... this was nice (and short-lived).

 Then there were parts that were totally uncleared. There were parts where I had to run on the street for a little bit. And there were parts where I was totally entrenched in the snow. But I looked at it as all a part of the adventure.

Cool down and last stretch. Fun stuff.

 I got to the gym was tired and ready to recover... before working out again. I was really proud of myself for not letting me let the snow get me down. I know plenty of others who roll with the punches much better than I and today was one more step towards being like them.

To me, training this year is more about making it part of my lifestyle and not giving up the other things in my life - family, friends, work - that I truly enjoy as well. I want to participate in triathlon, not let it overtake my life. And today, getting out there and running in the snow was the perfect (read: only)  way to do it.