Trouble

Wednesday night I took some Mucinex D and told Ronnie that if I got any sleep I was working out in the morning.
The Mucinex worked so I got up at 4:30 and headed to the Rec Center.
I saw Tim in the parking lot. He told me I was crazy to run outside, his truck said it was 8 degrees. I told him mine said 13. Turns out mine didn't have enough time to get the actual outside temp in the 4 mile drive over there and Tim's truck was closer. Actual was 10.
I was really cold at first. As I huffed and puffed my way up jail hill, I could feel the moisture from my breath forming ice on my eye lashes. My eye lashes just kept getting heavier during the five miles. When I got back to my car at the Rec Center, I looked like Tammy Faye Baker.
I went inside to swim. The water felt really warm on my frozen body. I knocked out 1750 yards a minute faster then last week. Still not breaking any speed records.

Last night both of the kids had a friend spend the night so I ordered pizza. I got myself a calazone to prepare for my long run.
The Mucinex didn't help as much last night and I was up quite a bit hacking. The alarm went off at 4:30. I got up, went to the bathroom, and got right back in bed. I laid there for a minute thinking. It will be warmer later today, I can take the kids to day camp and run then. But they both had friends over and I hated to have to take them home just so I could run. Tomorrow is going to be 60, it would be so much better to run then. Ronnie will be golfing, when will I squeeze in 16 miles? I ate that calazone last night, I can't eat like that and then not run. So I then I got my butt out of bed and ran.
It was warmer then yesterday, in the teens. But I was struggling. I didn't want to be out there in the cold and dark. I made excuses. I am sick, I didn't get enough sleep, It's cold, It's dark... I didn't have a route planned and was just going by the seat of my pants. Mile 4 had me in Baker Heights. I got a plan. From here I could run Cracker Barrel Hill. Then I could compare it to the hills in Birmingham. New motivation. I was excited to be running now.
I made it up the hill, down interstate drive and a short out and back on 41. I beeped 8 miles. I turned around and headed back.
I was running out of excitement now. I ate a shot block, which freeze in your pocket when it is in the teens.
I felt a little better.
I trudged on. I ate a few more shot block ice cubes and finally made it home.
It wasn't my best 16 miles but it is 16 miles in the bank.
I started hacking as soon as I walked in the house. Took a couple more Mucinex and am hoping for a nap in a little while.
In the meantime, I pluged Garmin into the laptop and got the profile from todays run. I compared it to the profile for the Mercedes Marathon. I am in TROUBLE. While Cracker Barrel Hill is a little steeper it is only about a tenth of a mile. Mercedes has 2 hills that are each a mile climb. OUCH!!!!