Winter Running

It's cold! It's not suppose to get this cold in South Carolina. The thermometer read 32° yesterday but it felt like of 26°. To make matters worse the wind was around 10 mph with 15-25 mph gusts. I braved the cold temperatures and wind and went on my first real cold run of the season. Yes, it sucked. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. It was brutal, lung burning, butt freezing, face numbing cold. I seriously regretted my decision after just 1 mile when I went from being comfortable chilly (as the "experts" always claim you should feel at the start to avoid overdressing) to downright cold (apparently I don't produce that much heat when I run so if I'm chilly at the start, I'll be cold at the end). I had on tights, fleece pants, long sleve tech tee, fleece jacket, two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks, a headband and scarf and still got cold. And yes, they were all moisture wicking.

After about 2 miles, I finally started to feel my fingers again and shed one pair of gloves but my legs kept getting colder as they always tend to do during sub 40° runs and my pace slowed to a crawl. Jogging uphill became impossible as breathing heavily in the cold wind became painful. After mile 3, I had no energy left and was pretty much jogging slower than my walking pace. That was it. I had enough and cut my 5 mile run short. I headed back inside the warmth of my 70° house. Took a hot shower to thaw out my legs and face so I could feel them again.

I'm still not sure about this winter running, it's going to take some time to get used to. I don't find it fun while I'm out there and only can come to appreciate it after I'm back inside and warm again and say "Yea, I ran today. The cold weather didn't stop me".

Oh and now my Saturday 5K. The forecast is a high of 31°, low of 16° and windy. Great! I can't wait! (saying with sarcasm). If I set a new PR, it's only because I'm racing to get back in my car and turn the heater on!