Once upon a time, there was a girl named Nikki. She began running in the fall and fell in love with it. She set a goal for herself to run 500 miles in 2013 and while some people thought she was crazy, she was excited.
She ran all winter long, braving the snow, ice and frigid temperatures. She pushed herself to improve her form, avoid side stitches and set new PR’s. She participated in a Further Faster Forever contest and found that she was capable of amazing things… until an evil upper respiratory infection hit and sidelined her for a few weeks.
The evil upper respiratory infection left her with the need for an inhaler and a fear of going out to run. She tried a few times and a combination of anxiety and asthma always got the best of her. Leaving her only halfway to her goal of 500.
Then, the evil heat of summer came along and Nikki was not a fan of it, so she put her running on hold. She ran a few fun runs and logged a few miles on the days it wasn’t sweltering, but she was basically at a stand still.
She attempted to run on the hamster wheel of death, in an air conditioned gym, but it just wasn’t the same.
Part of what Nikki loved about running was the fresh air, changing scenery and the mind clearing effect the two had together. The hamster wheel of death just didn’t offer that, so the frustrated Nikki sulked off and just watched as runners tweeted and instagrammed about their runs.
Finally, one October morning, the air was crisp and the humidity was gone.
Nikki grabbed her running shoes, turned on RunKeeper and hit the trail for the first time in a while. Her head instantly cleared, her legs felt strong and her breathing wasn’t an issue.
She finally made it to 300 miles and while she knows there isn’t much time left in 2013, she’s going to do her best to reach the goal she set.
After all, the cooler temps, snow and ice never stopped her before.
The End.
getfitwithnikki.com 
Maybe you can be OK with running as a seasonal activity? When I used to run, I enjoyed the spring through fall, and the colder it got the less I wanted to get out there. If you have a planned “off season” you can recover from the stresses of running and focus on other areas of fitness (which you know so well).
Hi Fred,
I’m very okay with it. It just dawned on my today that I set a goal and I’d like to reach it, but the clock is ticking. lol.
This was my first year running so I had no idea what to expect. I’m not a fan of the heat so June-September will be my off months.
I loved running when it was cold out so I’m pretty sure I can make the number I set out to reach….I just hope Mother Nature is kind :)
Love it, I also consider the treadmill the hamster wheel of death!! I have to be outside, but training outside in FL May-October is unbearable for me. I also have a hard time with my breathing during those months. So every year I get knocked off track and then feel like I’m starting all over again come Fall. I am not a “natural” runner, so I really need to stay on track at all times…sigh.
It’s so nice to hear I’m not alone. Some of the people I follow on Social Media are machines! They bang out crazy mileage all year long and I’m like….it’s too humid….lol.
I guess the important part is that we keep coming back to it and we keep plugging along!