All in a night's work

Pre-workout eats: Cinnamon raisin English muffin with PB and a banana - on the side
Workout: Ran 3.31 miles; average pace, 9:11.

There would be no excuses.

My running tights were clean, my Garmin was charged and I had a pair of matching socks. Those items -- along with a compression top, Brooks half-zip, fleece vest and my shoes -- were laid out (albeit haphazardly) on the kitchen table last night.

I pumped myself up. "I get to run. I get to run. I get to run," I told myself. I made no allowances for "haves to" in that sentence. Nope, not one crept in.

I went to bed with plenty of time (and when the people upstairs decided to stop power sanding the floor) and only woke up once to go to the bathroom. And in pregnant lady world, that's an accomplishment.

When I rolled out of bed, I repeated my new mantra. I warmed up some decaf coffee, got my snack on and got dressed. And, thanks to the lackluster wireless at our place, I was ready to go before I could check Weather.com. Even if it was 8 degrees, I knew I would feel foolish getting undressed after all the work I'd put in.

Thankfully - and I mean that in relative terms - it was 13 degrees. And to be doubly thankful, I had a buddy in Mark, who is off for MLK Day.

It was a decent run, a bit faster in the second mile than I am used to of late, but nice. I think we were just trying to stay warm.

And speaking of warm, I have another new mantra: One crap day of winter puts me one day closer to spring.

Think spring, jelly beans!

P.S. If you are bored today, read this article over at USA Today. A little inspiration for us all.