Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Mid-winter musings

Thanks to my southern pals Steve and Mark for pointing out that they either a. just completed a 5.5-mile run on the beach or b. just completed a group run after work in 77-degree temperatures in sunny Florida (“a little too warm for my blood,’’ he reported; Thanks. Bro.)

Yeah. You win. As we ricochet from snow to ice and back to snow, the warmer climate pals get to gloat. You win. You earned it. Nicely done.

Other Marist coaches have reacted with empathy as they see our rugged athletes slip-sliding through campus miles (we won’t let them venture off campus on slippery days), do endless laps in McCann or battle for precious time on the jam-packed treadmill scene. “How do you do it?” they ask. One day at a time. Adapt on the fly.

Yeah, it might be tough this time of year. But as you see, our upcoming schedule is packed with exciting and competitive meets. Even those distance runners not racing much indoors have plenty of motivation for outdoor racing on road and track. There is plenty of reason to be fired up, despite “winter storm warnings,” “wind chill advisories” and the like.

And hey: Things are looking up! We are gaining about 2 minutes of daylight each day. February is right around the corner. Little League signups are next week. Pitchers and catchers report soon.

And so, my warm-weather friends, enjoy your nice weather. It’s not nice here, that’s for sure. But that’s OK!

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