Mother nature

Last friday I had that wonderful run in the amazing weather. With the stunning nature of Iceland all around me I felt good that the spring had finally arrived and I was certain that the marathon (now in 4 days!) would be an enjoyable experience. Then what happens...

Mother nature decides to step in... I don't know what it was... maybe to many people were enjoying the good weather... maybe this is some sort of a sick joke from mother nature, kindling hope and optimism and then crush it! Today it is snowing!!! it is freezing cold, temperatures below 0 (celcius), wind chill and snow... I can't even imagine what it will be like running in a weather like this. When getting to work this morning I couldn't stop shaking, out of cold!!

I am a very visual person, and I visualize a lot. So I couldn't help it but seeing my self dropping out of the race... not because of lack of stamina, not because of my knees or cramps in calfs... no no... because of over cooling (what's the word again?)... All the training, all the preperation... gone...

But then kicked in my conscious mind... I started recalling all those times I ran out in blizzards this winter... when I ran out, even though there were storm warnings and even on one occasion got blown off the track... And the time when the headwind was so strong with hail that my 8km took 1 hour 30 minutes... Especially I remember a time when me and my best friend went running and this insane wind started and I put out my chest and yelled in the wind, bring it on!! do you think you can take me down!!

My friend described that moment as insanity, a small person challenging mother nature... But that is the spirit and the nature of me, and I believe most marathon and ultra distance runners... in a sense we are challenging our bodies our spirits our existance every day. So no matter the weather, no matter the conditions, ee will all be there at the starting line in 4 days. Laughing in the face of mother nature.