Though I’ve been living in New York for the past 10+ years and often refer to myself as “such a New Yorker,” I was actually raised in sunny South Florida. I remember always noting how much I hated the heat when I lived there; the humidity was a major factor in my decision to depart. My first few winters in NYC were refreshing as they strangely seemed to make my melted organs solid again. I grew a thick skin and started to love the outdoors in February as much as anyone enjoys a perfect 75-degree sunny day. It’s true what they say - the grass really is greener on the other side and you know what? I’VE SEEN NO GRASS IN NYC THIS WINTER AND IT’S BUGGING ME OUT!
So no patches of green is hard to swallow suddenly. The New York-loving BForge is in desperate need of sunshine as my training season gets harder and yet I have restrictions around where I can take my workouts. Our team runs have been cancelled the last couple of weeks and any outside workout I aim to do myself I have to reconsider given the painful temps that have creeped below zero. We’re not talking about laziness here; we’re talking about wanting to not have cause of death be freezing alive while running a 10k.
These are the most frustrating moments for anyone training for a big race (or any size race for that matter). And they’re also the moments that make us realize how committed we are to what we do and what we love. Instead of coming up with excuses why we can’t do something, we’re upset because we want to work and we’ll find any which way to make it happen - even if that means slaving ourselves to the usually boring treadmill. (That ‘mill and I have become extra chummy this season. I’m still mad at it for pushing me off that one time, but we’re in therapy repairing the emotional damage and working on my trust issues. Pavement is still my #1. Shh.)
I’m training for my first full Ironman, so there’s no question as to why I get nervous when I miss out on big outdoor workouts. Mother nature is both our friend and foe as she provides us athletes with beautiful grounds to walk, run, bike and explore on. But she also has her bad days where most of us lose our access when she loses her cool. There is no girl-to-girl chat that we can implement to fix this; it’s just, well, nature. But my skin is wearing thin and I’m in need of new outlets.
So if the warmth is not going to come to me than I plan to go to it. That’s right, I am happy to report that I’m doing my first olympic distance triathlon of the season in South Beach - Miami, FL on April 19th. It’s about time I visit home, thaw out and get my legs spinning on solid ground. I cannot be more excited to swim in 75-degree ocean waters and sweat my face off in the humidity that once brought me to leave for good. It’s like fighting with a parent - as mad as you can be with them, you get over it and eventually come back home.
And knowing me, I bet you I will get to Florida and complain all weekend about HOW HOT it is and how I can’t wait to get back to NY’s winter blast. But for now, heat can’t come soon enough!!
Warm thoughts,
BForge
Recent workouts:
Monday, 2/16 - 2.5hr BRick (Bike + Run) session on indoor bike
Tuesday, 2/17 - weight training (full body), 3mile run on treadmill
Wednesday, 2/18 - 75min computrainer ride with tri team
Thursday, 2/19 - 4000m swim with tri team