I planned on going, but ended up being a no show

I had good intentions today. Really I did. Today was going to be the day I started going back to the YMCA on a regular basis and start running again.

Even though I got up late this morning, I remembered to grab my gym bag as I was heading out the door. Granted that meant it sat in my car all day. And with temperatures hovering around 10 degrees, that meant my gym clothes would be quite chilly by the time 5:30 p.m. rolled around.

But it wasn't only the clothes I remembered. I even grabbed the charger for my MP3 player. Because the batteries were dead and there's no way I can even think about stepping foot on the treadmill without some tunes. So the MP3 player? It charged all day at work. Meaning? The battery was full of juice.

And I made sure to eat lunch and even have a snack in the afternoon at my desk. Because food is helpful when you're planning on running.

But at some point, probably around 2 p.m. I happened to glance outside. And there were these huge snowflakes falling. Not only were they huge, but there were a ton of them. It made me pause and briefly reconsider my decision to go to the YMCA. But I was determined. Besides, the YMCA is two blocks from my office. And since I grew up in Wisconsin, I'm pretty sure I know how to drive in snow.

But I have to admit, I ended up changing my mind. By 5:30 p.m. the big snowflakes were coming down at a pretty steady clip, borderline "snowstorm" I guess you could call it. And I had ventured outside briefly in the afternoon and the roads? Not so nice. Granted that could possibly be due to the fact that my city refuses to plow until AFTER it stops snowing. But still, it was slippery. And my little Ford Focus? It doesn't always handle so well in the snow.

Add the fact that I had a pile of laundry to tackle when I got home from work since I have absolutely nothing to wear to work tomorrow. All of the excuses were just telling me to skip the YMCA for the day. Because really. When it comes to working out, Mondays are supposed to be "rest" days. At least that's what Hal Higdon told me during my half marathon training days.

So I'm following Hal's plan today. It's all about the rest. And tomorrow? Tomorrow I'm going to try to head to the YMCA after work and start the whole running thing again.

Because I need to run. I've got a 5K planned in April and I received a flyer in the mail this weekend for a half-marathon in May that's awfully tempting and could possibly be doable. So that means I need to run. And I need to start running soon.

Wish me luck.