I read a quote recently that said something along the lines of, “no matter how slow you are, you’re still lapping everyone sitting on the couch.” Or something like that. Whatever, dude. After today, I’m thinking that Mr. Frog here (pinterest find; no photo credit offered. My apologies.) might have the right idea. While he might get lapped, he’s much more comfortable than I was today.

After running a little more than nine (slow) miles in 25 degrees of windy, frigid conditions, I wanted nothing more than to be on that couch. My age and newbie status makes running hard enough in ideal conditions, but today was downright unfair — even with layer upon layer of clothing. In fact, at one point, with wind-induced tears and the contents of my nose streaming down my face, I found myself questioning my intelligence. For crying out loud, why do I do this day after day?

Then it occurred to me. When I cross the finish line of my first half marathon in a few months, I will be grateful for today (and a few other less than ideal runs over the past few weeks). Without today, that day won’t be possible. And I will be really proud that day. But you know what? I’m a little proud I made it through today, too.