Cold Weather

I know a lot of you know this, but it’s really hard to get yourself out of bed when the weather is really, really cold.  I slept really well last night, but the urge to stay warm and cozy under the blankets was very strong.  It is Florida, after all.  It’s rare that I’m not lying in bed sweating, so this is all a very special treat in some ways.

When I’m in the mood to stay in bed, it often takes some internal negotiation to get me out.  Today’s negotiation ultimately led to an agreement upon 18 miles on the stationary bike rather than 6 miles in the cold.  The thing that sealed the deal in this case was that the shower at the gym would be much more luxurious than my shower at home (which generally sucks in the cold weather).  So, I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the gym.

Once on the bike, I rode for about a mile before recognizing the back of Steve on the treadmill.  He has a fairly distinctive running style that kind of reminds me of a bulldog.  I certainly wouldn’t call it elegant, but powerful would be a word that fits.  Anyway, I decided to ditch the bike and put in my 6 miles on the treadmill, so I hopped up next to him.

We exchanged pleasantries and I asked how the long run went last weekend.  He, Richie and Justin had run 20 miles (all the way to the beach).  I was impressed and a bit jealous, but not too jealous (many consider 20 mile runs to be torture after all).  I whipped out 6 miles at an average pace in the low 8’s and then stretched.

Meanwhile, I’m starting to freak out about the weather for the Walt Disney World half marathon this Saturday.  It looks like the weather will be in the low 30’s with a chance of rain at the start of the race (5:45 am).  If I run my goal time, I’ll be finished before sunrise.  Last year, the temperature was 46 at the start.  I ran in a sleeveless T-shirt.  I was very cold in the corral waiting for the start, but felt great during the run.  This year, I’m not sure what to do.  I might get arm warmers, or cut up toddler tights and make my own arm warmers, or maybe I’ll just say “screw it” and wear a long sleeve shirt.

I like the arm warmers idea for it’s flexibility during the race.  I can discard the homemade ones, or just roll down the store bought ones.  One the other hand, if I’m finishing before sunrise, it’s not likely to get warmer between start and finish.  Any advice is much appreciated – especially if you’ve run with arm warmers before.