A little bit of something

Last night I attended the opening meeting for "Nu2Tri," a beginner triathlon program I joined in part because I've been wanting to do a triathlon for awhile, in part because some running buddies cajoled me into it.

When explaining all of the workouts we would need to do six or seven times a week, one of the coaches (sorry, I forgot his name) tried to ease our anxiety by telling us just to do something, even if we can't get in the entire workout. "A little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing," he told a room of slightly-panicked wannabe triathletes who perhaps didn't realize they should be swimming in the morning and running and lunch -- and don't forget spin class.

In the cold, pre-dawn hours when my alarm clock and cell phone alarm started buzzing to wake me for a 6 a.m. run with a friend -- and I so badly wanted to stay in my bed, if only because the house's heat had just kicked on -- I rolled myself out of bed and with cobwebs of sleep interrupted still fuzzy-ing up my head, I tugged on some running tights, threw on a long sleeve and laced up my new trail runners. Callie and I headed out the door (almost) on time and despite the frigid temperatures (37 degrees -- I do live in California!) had an enjoyable 4-mile jaunt along the coast.

Running during the work week can be a challenge. There are early mornings at court and late nights at the office, with lots of Web updates and blog posts sandwiched between. Most days, I'd rather selfishly cozy up to my pillow for an extra hour rather than drag myself out to run in the cold, fog or morning drizzle. But every time I do manage to leave that cocoon of blankets -- even if it's just for a 20-minute loop around the neighborhood with the dog -- I'm happier all day long... plus coffee tastes better after a run!

The point? Ah, just get out there and do what you do, even if it's quick.