Despite my protests and attempts to prolong my sleep this morning, Ellie succeeded in getting me out of bed for a quick 15 minute trot around the block with our dog. I had an early meeting so Audrey would be home a bit longer today than usual, so we wanted to tire her out a little bit more than usual in the hopes that she would not destroy everything we own. I was pretty not-interested in the prospect of going out into the snow and ice for a morning jog, but out we went . . . for the dog.

The first five minutes of our fifteen minute run were pretty suck-tastic. I felt lethargic and slow, not to mention cold. On top of that, it was excessively icy from the night before, and every foot had to be carefully placed to avoid a spill. Audrey, on the other hand, was having a blast. She ran from tree to tree, dragging me along for the ride. She must have thought this morning was the best thing ever.

As we rounded the loop at the halfway point and began to head back, I realized it wasn't so bad after all. It actually felt pretty good honestly, and I hate to admit it because I know once Ellie reads this, I'll be on the hook for more morning jogs. Honestly though, it was nice to get my heart pumping a little bit. It woke me up, and I wasn't sleepy while I sat through a three-hour 9am meeting.

Running this morning reminded me of the spring, summer and fall, where I would ride my bike to work. It felt great to get out before work, and having just a tad under a mile already done for the day is great. Although today truly is a crappy, grey, snow-filled sub 30 degree day, I feel better today than I have the past couple of weeks. And if nothing else, I think Audrey had a blast, and hopefully was sleepy enough not to destroy anything out of boredom while we are at work.

Moral of the story, Ellie wins this round.