I pulled over by the Kananaskis Country sign on Hwy 66. I wanted to take a moment to consider my options. I had planned to run my 20k winter route from Allen Bill.
When I left Calgary, the forecast said 25% chance of snow at 9 a.m. and the snow would increase throughout the day. I knew there was a good chance that it was already snowing because the closer I got to mountains, the moodier the skies.
I chose to ignore the rain pelting my windshield and kept driving in a state of denial.
Soon I would lose cell service so I quickly fired off a text message to a friend at the pull out. We had tentative plans for Sunday but both of us used the pending storm as our way out. I gave her a quick call to whine about the weather and to mostly to have someone bear witness my self-pity party.
As the rain morphed into snow (or was it light snow all along?), I reluctantly settled on MoMo Road as plan B. It has been weeks since I ran this route and it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I could still get in a decent run in the mountains.
There were a few cars already in the parking lot when I arrived. I quickly packed my kit and set off up the road. I decided against wearing spikes because it hasn’t been that cold lately so likely little ice. I (somewhat) jogged up the first big hill before turning on a Mel Robbins podcast.
I needed the distraction because I was disappointed that I had to go to plan b. I had been looking forward to running my loop through Bragg Creek but the prospect of wet feet and deep snow made it less appealing.
I had to chuckle, really. When did I get so soft? I used to run all through the winter in colder and worse conditions. Now I was worried about a little snow on a warmish day in February? All that road running in Calgary over the last two months has made me soft.
It took me a minute or 10 before I finally started to appreciate the day. I marvelled at the beautiful snow flakes (because about 15 minutes in the snow was coming down hard) and majestic snow-draped trees. I appreciated that the wind hadn’t picked up yet. (That road can get pretty windy.)
Winter whims and snowy setbacks
Training for a 100-mile race is serious business. It demands resilience both physically and mentally. Setbacks are inevitable, and there will be days when I don’t want to run. There will also be days when I question my ability and sanity.
Today was one of those days when I craved comfort over discomfort. I wanted an easy, breezy run. Dry feet. Sunshine. Blue skies. But ultra-running has its golden rule – you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
When I started to see other runners on the road, my perspective shifted. It was a welcomed boost that allowed me to finish my run in a positive frame of mind. Sometimes you just need a little reality check to get you back on course.