ToughGirl Memoir

The alarm sounds at 5:15 am. Though I was technically sleeping in, I still moaned "noooo" when the annoying sound buzzed through the silent air breaking my peaceful slumber. In 3 days, I have run 30 miles, and my 20 mile long run is still 3 days away. I'm tired. There's nothing I want more than to sleep in. I think about the 7 miles I have ahead of me. I try to reason a way out of it. Maybe I could run at lunch? No, I only have an hour so that wouldn't leave me time to clean up afterwards. Not to mention actually eating. I could run after work? Yeah right. I've played that game before... never happens. I could run on Friday morning instead? No, then I would have to get up at 5:15 on the one day of the week that I actually do rest. Argh. Out of excuses, I roll over and put my feet on the floor. Today, I think to myself, I am going to run in my ToughGirl. As a dedicated 'Skirt and bra' runner, it takes quite a bit to get me to put more clothes on when I run. But lately, I've noticed that on my recovery runs since my pace is slower and I don't work up as much of a sweat, I get cold if the sun is not up. And it's so hard to get out of a nice warm bed when it's chilly out. I have never run in my ToughGirl. Last year I had the vintage model. I wore it everywhere. Just not to run. I think subconsciously I was afraid to ruin it since it was my only one. Now, I have 3 ToughGirls. I have been wanting to test one out because I am flying to the midwest for Christmas and it will be very cold there when I run. I go to my closet and pull my red ToughGirl off the hanger. I pair it with my black Triks Tank and red Urban full zip Hoodie. I am feeling better already! I look good! And I'm going for a run! I head out into the pitch blackness. The air is crisp and cool. The temps are in the low 40's. The streets are quiet except a few cars heading to work. I run. I notice things I normally don't see. The other runners out in the cool morning. People walking dogs. Commuter cyclists on their way to a busy day. I turn around at the 3.5 mile mark and head home. As I get closer to home, the sky begins to lighten and eventually I can see the golden orange and pink hues that indicate that in fact another day is about to begin. I breathe in the cool air. I notice that at my recovery pace, I don't feel overdressed. I am quite comfortable in my Tough Girl. And I feel good. I'm not just slogging it out in some 'show-it-all' running tights. I am running and looking great too. And just for fun, in the last mile, I pick up the pace a little bit to pass a teenage boy who is slogging it out. Putting on my ToughGirl changed my outlook on the morning. It made me want to get out of bed. Running is always rewarding but sometimes, at 5 am it's hard to remember that. When I have a little piece of incentive to get me out of bed, it's that much easier to stay on track. So in January when I break the 3:30 barrier, I can look back on today and give a little bit of thanks to the ToughGirl in me.