Back to Winter

What a difference a day makes.  Or a week.  Last Saturday my friend Mark and I ran the 12.5 mile loop in Barrington in just about perfect, 'fall-like' conditions.  There were so many other runners out there, it felt like a race.  And we ran like it was a race also.

We joined in with the Fleet Feet 'Boston Bound' marathon training group, and burned 7:30 miles through the hilly Barrinton course.  Well, for me these days, that's pretty fast for a long training run anyway.  The Fleet Feet group included about 45 runners who have qualified, and are planning on running Boston in April.  So they are serious.  I'm not planning a spring marathon, and I'm not really serious about anything right now, but it was fun to run with them for a bit.

So flash forward to this weekend.  We were back out in Barrington.  But it was like a different place.  The temperature on the sign at the entrance to the parking lot is electronic, and features the time and temperature.  I usually pay it no attention, but on this day, I couldn't help but notice it read '7 degrees'.  Ok, that's not overwhelming by eskimo standards, but given the winter we've been enjoying in Chicago so far, that's pretty darn cold.  And the big crowds from the previous weekend were gone.  The treadmill at the gym must have been calling out to many of them!

I get it.  It's February in Chicago and cold and snow are we should expect.  In previous years we've run in temperatures even a few degrees colder, and survived just fine.  But the combination of my advancing age (I endured a birthday this week) and the mild winter we've enjoyed so far, had me just a little reluctant.  Ok, a lot reluctant.

But with age comes experience.  And experience has taught me that you just have to get out and start moving.  Within a half mile or so you will start to warm up and forget the cold.  Well, maybe not forget, but at least not dwell on it as much!

Lo and behold, that's what happened.  There were four of us running together on this morning, and as we got going, we started talking about recent races and the like, and the cold became a bit of an afterthought.  Non-running friends say to me all the time they can't imagine running outside when it's cold out.  "Doesn't it burn your lungs?", they'll say.  

No.  Once you get going, if you're dressed properly, it's not really an issue.  We tend to long for the summer heat on days like this, but tend to forget longing for the cold when we are suffering in the summer heat.  I guess there are few perfect days or seasons for running, and we should savor them when they come.

Regardless, there is a certain perverse sense of joy and pride that comes from finishing your run in conditions like they were on Saturday.  While the rest of the world was sleeping in with the heat turned up, we were getting our miles in, while enduring the coldest morning of the year.

To me, that's a good part of what running is all about.  Although if the temperature reads 45 degrees next weekend, I won't complain.

See you on the roads....... 

Comments

[Pete B]

I ran in a 5k/10k on Sunday and there were hundreds of runners participating. The temps at the start were 14 degrees. At the post-race festivities (held outdoors) it looked like it could have been 70 degrees, as most of the runners hung around the vendor stands, drinking hot chocolate and eating bananas, seemingly unaffected by the chill. I think runners must be wired differently than those who don't venture outside in the winter (except to jump in their cars)!

[Michelle Damico]

Happy belated Birthday John, Nice post. I love running and racewalking in winter much more than summer -- I feel like I'm in on a secret that all those winter couch potatoes are clueless about -- winter outdoor exercise is the best! By the way, I sent you some news to your Facebook page about your friend Coach Brendan Cournane. Please check your F'book messages and give Brendan a shout out!