I have a rule that I don’t run if it’s 25 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
I am not built to run in the wintertime. The cold stress is tough on my body. I have trouble speaking and enunciating in cold air. My facial muscles freeze up, and I slur my words together. I sound drunk and hard of hearing, or thanks to my personal life choices combined with my Meniere’s Disease, a little drunker and a little harder of hearing.
It’s not pretty.
This past Saturday, it was 26 degrees. That is abominably cold and brutal, but it’s one degree above my cut off. I am a mentor, and I can’t bail on my team. I hauled my ass out of bed before sunrise and went running six miles with my crew.
You can see in this photo that I’m so concerned about the cold weather, but I’m not wearing a hat. That’s because I didn’t organize my gear the night before. And during the run, my face was so cold that I couldn’t talk. Everything ended in an ARRRR sound or an ESH groan.
But if that’s the worst of my cold weather running blues, I suppose it’s not too bad. And it was nearly 70 degrees on Sunday. I know that spring is on the horizon. Pretty soon I’ll be complaining about the heat and humidity.
But right now, I’m ready for the unseasonably cold weather to leave North Carolina. I want to shed a few layers and talk during my weekly workouts without slurring my words together like Liza Minnelli.
You must be logged in to post a comment.