Cold Running

 I am pretty proud of myself for starting and maintaining a running streak in Boise in December. It isn't the worst winter weather month that we have here in Boise. That tends to be January or February in my limited experience. But just because there's not been a whole lot of snow or ice on the ground doesn't mean it was an easy month to run in. 

For example, last Sunday, when I ran 6.4 miles, I was initially quite cold when I went outside. The sun was out, but it is at such an angle that most houses I run by will block its light and meager heat. The real problem was that the wind was gusting. Not only does running into the wind get hard because of the force of the wind itself, but also the chill factor. My current running outfit does well at insulating, but it isn't windproof, and I could feel that on Sunday for sure. 

There was one point when I was over halfway done that I was running through a shady section (that is the best section when it's shady in the summer, but is close to the worst when it's below freezing), and I could see the sunny section ahead. In my mind's eye, I was coming up on a huge section where the buildings were far enough back from the sidewalk that I'd get a chance to warm my bones before braving the next shady section. 

Then I got close enough to actually see the section. 

The sunny part was... shrinking. 

Instead of stretching all the way across the sidewalk, from the little side street I was about to cross all the past the next stoplight, it barely spanned the side street. 

Rolling in from the west and the north were not only clouds, which blocked my precious sunlight, but freezing fog, which made the lack of sun even more acutely felt. 

I had more than a mile left to run, maybe a mile and a half after the sun was completely covered. I so wanted to stop and call my husband and make him come get me in the heated car. But stopping would not help me stay warm. As cold as I was chugging along on my tired and numb jogging legs, I would only get colder if I stopped for any reason. 

So I kept chugging along. I kept moving. And it took a while, but I got those legs home. 

I'm really developing a distaste for running in the cold, but at the same time, I like having done it. A lot.