Must...Resist...Florida...

Not too bad of a week so far. No snow, 70 degree temperatures, and feeling good on my runs. Running in shorts and t-shirts, using sunscreen, drinking plenty of fluids. I don't need a trip to a warmer climate or a more southern latitude. It's okay here.

Friday I went into work for an extra shift, but by 10:30 due to a no-show chemo they no longer needed me and sent me home. So I put a few easy miles in, took the girls for a short run, and finished all my errands for the week, leaving my weekend free to play. Woohoo!

I took another 3 hour nap Friday afternoon, too, and was able to go to bed at 9:30 and sleep for a full 8 hours. It amazes me how much sleep I need sometimes, and I'm lucky to be able to get it.

This morning I had a 20 miler planned at the lakes. I could have opted for the St. Patrick's Day 5K, but the solitude of the lakes on such a beautiful morning sounded more appealing. Plus I needed to get some fartlek in and the 5K wouldn't have been enough.

As it turned out I felt great for the whole 20 miles, did 45 minutes of fartlek pickups and a few strides at the end.

The lakes were calm and clear, reflecting everything. It's been so nice to get a break from the wind. It's supposed to get cloudy, cooler and possibly a little snow the beginning of this coming week. I'm trying to keep myself from being impulsive and hopping a plane to Fort Lauderdale, knowing my friend Bob has his Palm 100 race going on next Saturday. I can keep myself from flying to Florida and running a 100K race. I can resist. I know I can. I am so envious of my friend Paul, who is running it.

I might have to get creative to stop myself. Can I block the Southwest Airlines website on my computer until next Saturday? Or call my credit card company and have them stop any airline purchases for the next week?

It's very tempting but I'm going to resist (yes, I will) and stick to the training runs for now. I've been thinking about my plans for next year and have all but decided to put the 6 Day race in New York on hold for a while. I've been wanting to go to Florida again and run the Keys, and maybe the LOST 118 again, this time running the ENTIRE loop! I told Mike I really should run the last 4 miles in reverse just to make up for last year. There are so many races I want to run in Florida, I could probably make half a dozen trips.

But as long as this weather holds, I think I will maintain my sanity and save my money for big adventures later this year and next. And for warmth, I can always look forward to Death Valley in July. It's warm there, warmer than Florida. It's a dry heat. They have palm trees and sand at Furnace Creek. I don't need to go to Florida.

The geese are flying north. That's GOOD. I should follow their example. And it will save my back from goose poop diving practice when I run with the girls.

And eventually, the snow will melt and I'll forget all about whining about the weather, until next winter. Well, maybe not. This is Colorado. It can snow any time of year.

Tomorrow, hills and maybe a little tire dragging. And then I start another week. It's supposed to snow, but I'll be indoors at work both of those days. Then it's supposed to warm up again by my days off. Must...resist...