Cold, cold run

I managed to arrive in St. Louis after two days of driving, hit the sack and woke up to the coldest day of the year. 4 degrees with 35 MPH winds making the wind chill a balmy -12. Knowing that 15 miles on unfamiliar country roads in these conditions was not a good idea, I opted for a 2 mile out and back just to shake the 2 days in the car out of my legs. I wore two pairs of socks, my tights underneath a pair of sweatpants, two long sleeve running shirts and a Nike cold weather jacket, a wool stocking cap on my head, and one of those headbands that’s supposed to cover your ears over my mouth and nose.

When I got outside, I was actually surprised at how well I had dressed myself. I was basically comfortable. A little cool, but I figured that would go away when I started running. I got to the end of my parent’s neighborhood and started running. I knew it was about a mile to the local Target, so I figured on running there and back.

I was laboring to breathe immediately. Although the headband over my mouth and nose was warming the air quite nicely, it was also reducing the volume of air I was bringing in. I was also running at about 7 min/mile pace just because I was cold I guess. I pulled down the headband and breathed easier, but the cold air stung my lungs. I ended up alternating up and down the whole run. I made it to target in about 7:30. At the top of the hill, a huge wind gust actually blew me off the sidewalk and into the grass. The wind flowing in underneath my sunglasses actually felt as though it might freeze the fluid in my right eye. When I turned around, my right eye got some relief, but my left eye was exposed to the wind.

I headed home at a pretty good pace and finished the 2 miles in 15:08. At the entrance to the neighborhood, I started walking back to my parents’ house but ended up jogging it just to get there sooner.

Today, it’s warming up to 20 degrees so I hope to get in 6 miles.