Starting early

This morning I had my alarm set to go off at 6 so I could get out early and run before Weight Watchers. Well, I hit snooze and slept in for another 30 minutes before heading out the door. It's been way too long since I've actually been outside and run. I think I was afraid of the cold and the snow and crazy drivers, but this morning I decided to get out there. It was 18°F outside and the wind wasn't too bad. I had my handy dandy balaclava mask on and my head and face was kept nice and toasty. I had 2 shirts, a jacket and my reflective vest on so, I was all ready to go.

I started to head towards the lake when I realized that 90% of the snow was actually ice so, I turned around and headed back towards the main street. (Next time I'll wear yaktraks when I want to go around the lake.) I got to the fork in the road and tried to decide which way I wanted to go to be able to see the sunrise while I ran. Well, I went right and it turned out not to be the best way to go. The sunrise was at my back the whole time. About 2 miles into my run I decided to turn around so I could get a better look at the sunrise so, I could get a picture to add to my collection. Well, bad idea. Mainly because I was wearing running tights and they weren't thick enough, so when I turned I started running into the wind and my thighs where screaming, "WHY?! Why didn't you double up on your pants???" I turned back around and kept going figuring maybe I'd get another look and a better picture later in my run when I came around the corner about a mile up the road. I got a really nice one. 

I love getting sunrise pictures. 

I'm so blessed to be able to be in a place where I can see such beautiful sunrises in the mornings. Well, I ended up running 5.25 miles. I don't know about anyone else, but for me it's SO much easier to run in the cold than it is in any other weather. I think my legs stay cool which makes it easier to run for longer periods of time without starting to ache. I know my balaclava really helped. 

This year I'm following along with Ali Edwards One Little Word this year. This will be my first time doing it, but towards the end of this year the word SUNRISE kept coming to me. I had the idea to get a picture of the sunrise every morning of 2014. This year I got about 120 pictures. I think of the sunrise as a new beginning. Every day I can start new. I'm excited to see what's in store for me and my family this year. I know it's going to be a great one.