The Complex Triathlete: Rule #7: If You Are Out Training in Horrible Weather, You Are a Badass. Period.

Last night it was 60 degrees when I got out on my bike for a typical early season ride. With the change of the clocks over the weekend I am now able to squeeze in 75 minutes before it is dark ... which is a whole lot better than sitting in the basement pedaling away on the trainer. As I rode by the park there were a lot more people than I have seen there in some time, surely a result of the unseasonably awesome March weather. A few miles down the road another cyclist caught me and sat on my wheel before turning toward his home. And over the next 60 minutes or so there I passed more runners and cyclists out doing their thing.

photo: www.icedotathletes.com

I don't blame anyone for being out there last night. In fact, if you ride or run (and even of you don't), you needed a real good reason for NOT being out there last night. It was the kind of day where getting out and getting it done is easy - warm weather and little wind after almost three months of mostly horrid conditions. To totally understate the situation, Winter 2014 has been a tough one for endurance athletes who live in the Northeastern United States. Some years we get really frigid temperatures and others we get big snow totals. This year we had both!!! Making it worse is the fact that the big snow total was a result of a large number of small storms and not just one huge Nor'easter.

It was bad ... real bad ... and if you were out there this winter, you are a badass. Period.

Cold Weather Cycling - The Complex Triathlete

So here's the deal: Getting outside and riding or running or walking or whatever it is that you do when the conditions are picture perfect is no big deal. Going for a run when it is 4 degrees takes an effort, a touch of insanity, and a real dedication to your chosen sport. As bad as this winter has been, I have many a friend who have either been out there training with me, or out there doing it on their own. They are true badasses.

But there is more to this story than just training in lousy weather. As a badass, you are out there training in that garbage with a purpose. You are out there working towards something. You have goals. You. Are. Driven. Because really, NOBODY decides it's a good day to go out for a run when the wind chill is 2 degrees!!! NOBODY!!!

I know many a badass who are putting in the miles in prep for an Ironman later this year and I know some badasses who are getting ready to run Boston in April. I even know a badass who hadn't raced in years but trained in all kinds of horrible weather just because. That, my friend, is a special kind of badass.

Of course, there is that fine line between sanity and stupidity one really shouldn't cross. Lo-Jack tells a story about a guy we refer to as "Township" running down William Penn Highway in the middle of a snow storm around 7 pm years ago. Really surprised he's still alive. Then there's another friend of mine who showed up for a group ride with his road bike and a layer of ice on the roads. Didn't really work out for him. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 21,000+ badasses who ran the Boston Marathon with me in 2009 in a Nor'easter.

And then there is me ... Many, many years ago at a young and naive age, me and Lo-Jack (Lo-Jack and I?) thought it was wise to do a 20 mile run one Saturday at 11 am. It was July and about 90 degrees when we started. Who knows what the humidity was. We were good - or so we thought - because we were "protected from the sun" on the towpath. Long story short, we ran just fine until we didn't. On the 5 miles back to our car we stopped to walk for good between the point where we pretty much mugged Lo-Jack's son of his water jug (he was down there fishing) and when the world started to spin because we were so dehydrated. We made it back AND we somehow avoided the hospital. We were baddasses, but on the wrong side of the line that hot Summer day.

So when the weather gets bad, embrace your inner badass and get out that door for some good ole' fashion training. But please, be smart about it. In the rare occasion that getting out the door to train is on the other side of the sanity/stupid line, hit the trainer, run on the treadmill, or hit the pool for a swim.

The moral of the story: If you are out there training in horrible weather you are a Badass. Period.

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon

Related Posts:

Rule#1: Hard is Hard, Easy is Easy

Rule #2: Be Consistent

Rule #3: Don't Become a Slave to Sports Technology

Rule #4: The 20 Minute Rule

Rule #5: Harden the F#$k Up

Rule #6: Don't be "That Guy" ... NOBODY likes him