On the inside looking out

Part of working within or for the publishing industry means majority of the conferences and events occur in New York, the hub for the publishing industry. So every few months, I find myself in New York for business.

I love New York, I really do. I love leaving New York, too, for that matter, but I love the lights and the people and the sounds...and try my darnedest to walk around looking like I'm not a tourist, which in itself probably clues everyone in.

This morning I had my running clothes out, and my running directions for my loop right beside them. When I got up, Al Roker informed me the temperature in NYC at that very moment was 13, with 50 mph winds. Had this been a city I'd never been in before, I'd probably have bit the bullet and laced up anyway. Because I've run in NYC before, and will again, the temptation wasn't as great, and instead, I decided to bit the other bullet and lace up and head to the fitness center.

ShoreTurtle, my co-workers, my friends--everyone who trains, even a little, on a treadmill--you have my complete and utmost respect. I lasted 9 minutes before my boredom exceeded my desire to run, so I then shifted focus and did 10 minutes on the bike. Then I threw in the towel (literally as well as figuratively) and headed back to the room in defeat.

Believe it or not, running during high school aside, my serious training started on treadmills. I decided in January 2002 I wanted to do a 5K, and since I had run in high school, it didn't seem terribly impossible. For the first three months, I was running on a treadmill, cranking out 4-5 miles at a time. All it took to lose that focus was one road run, and I have never been able to manage on a treadmill since.

So I immediately called Ted on my return to the room and told him we're running tonight. Outside.