motivation

This is the toughest time of year for me.  When it is rainy and windy and I am 100% guaranteed to get cold and wet if I go out.  There are few things in this world I dislike more than being wet and cold. Cold is fine, but wet and cold?? Oh so miserable. I don’t buy into the suffering musher trope. I like to be comfortable.

It was literally monsooning this morning. Just pouring. And windy. I would rather it was -40F. No joke. Over two inches of water accumulated in the bowls last night and the rain showed no sign of letting up. I procrastinated for two hours, looking for the motivation to go outside.  Did I find it knowing my competitors had already been out that morning? No. I don’t care what they do.  Did I find it due to a sense of obligation to my training schedule ? Partly. I have a serious compulsion to run the dogs if I think they need to go out, and I will be grumpy all day if it doesn’t happen. Did I find it in the knowledge that not going out because of rain would make me a wussy? Partly. I would have a hard time living with myself if I copped out because of uncomfortable weather. I am an “Iditarod musher,” after all, haha.  

No, I found it in the dogs.  I may mind the rain, but they don’t.  At all.  When I stepped outside to survey the situation, they all popped out of their boxes, pacing around, ready to go for another run. They know the schedule and seeing their excitement and complete disregard for the rain finally got me out the door.

There is a phrase in Norwegian — “the longest mile is the one to the door.”  It holds 100% true for me. After two hours of dilly-dallying, I finally put on long underwear, a wool jacket, a down vest, two rain jackets, heavy duty rain pants, two pairs of gloves, waterproof overmitts and went outside. & it wasn’t THAT bad.… my hands got a little cold and my butt got a little wet, but I felt good that I got over my hesitations & got my dogs out. We are moving forward in our training for Iditarod, right on track. :)

Of course, four hours later, not a cloud in the sky.  But, because I had already gotten the dogs out, I was able to take myself and Seb for a nice sunny jog :)