I appreciate the toughness it takes to train in the New England winter. I enjoy the feeling of a hot shower at the end of a cold run and am proud I can describe the differences in ideal layers for running in temperatures 0-10 degrees, 10-20 degrees, 20-30 degrees and 30-40 degrees.
But, man, did it feel good to throw on shorts and a t-shirt and just run last weekend. It was so simple. After an easy 6 mile run Thursday night, before the relay, I threw on a long sleeved t-shirt, just so I "didn't get chilly." That is the life, as far as I'm concerned.
During the nighttime run portion of the relay (my second leg began at ~2:45 am), the temperatures dipped to about 40 degrees. Before complaining, I realized that this would still probably be warmer than the high in Boston that day. Shortly after I finished my run at about 3:30 am, I also realized my friends back home would be waking up any minute to get ready for their weekend long runs.
Over the course of 27 hours, I ran 16.6 miles. The last 5.6 were of course into a head wind and mostly uphill. But as my van mates (5 guys) told me, the third leg is the hardest.
Despite sleeping only 2 hours, in the back seat of a van, Friday night, and 3 hours Sunday night, after flight delays brought me back to Boston at 4:00am, that trip to Arizona was exactly what I needed to break up a long, long winter. And I swear, when I ran this morning, I heard a few birds chirping and it did feel a little warmer out there.
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