Have I got a long way to run

Thursday night was the first snow of this winter and it was significantly too early.  Thursday morning was my first run in freezing weather.  Predictably, I was cold and slow and with a few dogs being out and about, it was fairly miserable, especially in the first mile and a half before my hands went dumb.  It may have also been the best thing for me.  Allow me to explain.  Going back to college, but more pronounced in grad school, I had noticed that I would regularly become depressed for a week or two each year, frequently during the beginning of winter.  It happened enough that I considered getting checked for SAD but since it wasn't an always thing and only lasted for a week, I never did.  I really appreciate being outside though and having the opportunity to go out and just do stuff, so when it turns cold and dreary and miserable, I'm no longer motivated to do that.  I had a roommate in grad school who could spend three or four days in the apartment without leaving for anything.  More power to him but that sounds horrendous to me.  Once every couple of months, if its bitterly cold or just pouring down rain, I'll stay inside all day.  By the time it gets to be around dinner, I start to go stir crazy, more because I feel like I don't have the option of getting out.  Straight up, I need to get out and just be active.

Things started to change in 2008 when Julie ran her first 5k.  I am only a runner because Julie is a runner.  In 2009, I ran the 10k in the River Bank Run with her and I had to train for it throughout the winter because while I considered myself an athlete, I wasn't a runner.  Every year since then, I have had a race of at least 15 miles for each spring that I had to train throughout the winter for.  It forces me to get outside and to exercise since I can't not train and treadmills and I don't have a good relationship.  To recap though, 2009 was the RBR 10k, 2010 was the RBR 25k, 2011 was the Lakefront Ultra 50k when I really became a distance runner, 2012 was the RBR 25k (again), 2013 was the Lakefront Ultra 50k (again), this past year was the Indy Mini (Half-marathon), and next May will be the Flying Pig Marathon out in Cincinnati.  I don't know if this has been my saving grace from struggling through the winter even more, but it certainly hasn't hurt.  Just to let you know, I went through an 8 miler this morning where it was even colder, yet it was still beautiful.