Winter – Go Away! – And Other Complaints

These are not the days that we want to savor.

And by we, I mean me.

A long-ago booked marathon was this past weekend and by the time Saturday rolled around, I was already thinking that it was a dreadful idea. Too much on our calendars, too little rest…a recipe for certain disaster.

But add in a late winter storm (early spring?) that arrived in Texas where winter most certainly should have been over with by December and the disaster recipe was fully cooked.

I made it 9.55 miles into the 26.2 course before the icy wind drained all feeling out of my fingers, my head was pounding and I thought I might pass out.

I blame the all-too-recent memories of the Icenado Marathon for my utter collapse. How else can you explain why a normally very stubborn person would so readily agree with the nurse at mile 9 who looked at my red and swollen fingers and suggested I step off the course?

So I was quite glad to see my friend Stacie pull up less than a mile later to cheer for me – I turned her cheer into a ride for the remainder of the race to meet our men at the finish line.

By the way, I was also glad to see her because a few miles earlier I’d seen her, shivering beside her car. The key fob had stopped working and she was locked out of the vehicle. Locked out, unprepared for the wintry blast and a who-knows-how-long-wait to get things fixed.

It wasn’t a great day.

Both of our guys were slightly hypothermic by the end of the race. I took some wonderful photos of Kelly bundled in blankets clutching warm saline bags in a slightly-drafty tent (better than the open air and we’re oh-so-grateful it was available). I don’t think he’s like me sharing them.

Anyway.

Two cold men and two women, one slightly depressed woman and the other relieved to not be locked out of a car but still out of sorts, hurried to get on the road.

You see, the storm front that brought a 20-degree drop (in nearly as many minutes) to our race also brought thundersleet, snow and freezing rain deep into the heart of Texas. And we all had to go home.

Kelly and I made it home in just under 7 hours. The drive in normal conditions would have taken us just under 3. Kelly told me I schooled several scared Texas drivers in how to safely navigate uphill icy bridges. I don’t know if that’s true or not. I just wanted to get home in one piece.

Our friends? As of midday today they were still driving – they stopped to spend the night not far outside of Dallas because the interstate was practically impassable.

But the golden moment of the whole weekend started in the midst of our icy drive home – endless sneezes. After about 2 hours, I told Kelly that I hoped my sneezes didn’t mean I was getting sick.

By the time we got home, I knew I was sick.

So that’s why I’m here at home, exhausted and miserable, on a week when I really needed both of the days that I was going to be in the office.

I’ve told myself that I’d do a little work while I’m at home but so far I’ve had no luck. My eyes are bleary, my nose is raw from blowing and the kitties are insistent that true rest only happens when you hold a kitty.

Ok, that’s not such a bad thing.

So here are my requests:

  • Winter – go away. We’re done.
  • Cold – go away. I’m done.
  • Schedule – slow down. You’re exhausting.

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