The Long Cold Run

-4 and looking like Elmo

I ran last night after Speedy Ima's 30th birthday party because I didn't have time to run beforehand. The windchill never got out of the single digits yesterday and by the time I got out there, it had fallen to -2 at the start of my run. Six miles in it had dropped again to -4 windchill.

The run, although fun, left me with 2 frozen water bottles (more on that later) and looking as red as my son's Elmo toy. In fact, I matched my bright red Under Armour beanie hat! All of this despite dipping my head and body in a tub of vaseline beforehand !! Out on the run, I definately had an adventure. My first water bottle (oj, water, salt) was frozen less than 2 miles into my run. I couldn't even open it without whacking it against a light pole (much to the amusement of drivers stopped at the traffic light) -- a few miles later, I tried again and managed to get the top unscrewed only to take a deep gulp and discover that the foamy stuff on top was actually a soapy OJ due to not rinsing my water bottle out well enough.

This meant a quick detour into CVS for a bottle of Gatorade (they didn't have Powerade). By the time I got 20 minutes down the road, the Gatorade was also frozen and I couldn't get it open. By this point, I am cold, cranky and getting dehydrated. I was supposed to run 16 miles but ran 12 (in 2:07) before calling it a night. I hadn't gotten to hydrate for a few miles and wasn't going to run 4 more miles with no liquid.

The final blow to my run was the wind. I had a headwind going out which for most parts of the country should mean a tailwind for the return trip. Those of you who know, Boston will also know that a tailwind is never guaranteed -- and in this case, I ended up fighting a headwind for the entire run.

When I got home and peeled off my 2 layers of pants, 2 shirts, running jacket, gloves, and hat my body was VERY red all over and my face looks like I've been on a beach in Key West -- too bad I didn't get the relaxation of the beach! While I enjoy what my non-running friends feel like is "extreme running" there is a limit...and this morning when my face hurt and my ears protested yet another cold day, I realized that last night was as extreme as I want to get right now....

Waddle on!

posted by Jesse @ 2:02 PM