Running in the winter

I've pretty much decided that running in the winter is a miserable thing.  It's necessary in order to prepare for spring races--I'm preparing for a marathon in mid-May--but I don't enjoy myself very much.

Part of the problem is the color scheme out there--lots greys, lots of browns right now.  Snow helps, especially on a sunny day, but even snow doesn't counteract the effect of a deeply grey dark day.

And then there's the wind--where I live, the wind seems to blow all the time during the winter.  Usually half of my run is easier, as I'm helped along by wind at my back.  It's the other half into the wind that often gets very frustrating.  I remember several long runs last winter when I was running into a strong wind and wanted to scream.

The hardest thing, though, is that I find it hard to think and process events and conversations during winter runs.  I haven't figured that out yet, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I'm distracted by simply dealing with the elements.  What I love most about running long distances is that I have lots of time to digest and work through problems.  I never listen to music (partly, I should confess, out of my concern about safety on country roads) or audiobooks.  I just think.  And think.  Two-three hours is a long time.  I just wish it were easier to think on long winter runs.

Now that I've spent some time griping, back to reading Magic Mountain.