Last night I registered for a run that’s in early March. Later I realized that, Holy Crap, early March is next week. This morning I stepped outside and one thought popped into my head :crystallized snot.
It’s so cold your face freezes instantaneously when you walk outside. Remember when your mom said “Stop making that face or it’ll get stuck that way?”
I’m pretty sure that could actually happen on a morning like this.
So it’s very, very cold and I just paid $90 (for three people) to run…. in public…. in the cold nine days from today. Sounds fun right?
It’s been a very weather intensive winter in the Midwest this year. We’ve had weeks and weeks of “polar vortex” cold. Our snow storms were so intense this year they started giving them names. That’s when you know you’ve hit the big leagues in the weather world.
But so far this winter a week hasn’t gone by that I have not seen some crazy person out running, usually more than one. It’s not just that one octogenarian in shorts all year round running the same four mile loop at the same time he’s run for the past forty years anymore.
I see people running when it’s three degrees out, snowing, raining, icy, whatever. Heck I’ve even been that person fighting the elements just to log a few miles, admittedly not as often as I’d like to be.
Whenever I see someone else out running in less than ideal weather I think “Damn, that guy (or girl) is crazy!”
But in the back of my mind there’s a hint of admiration for these runners and their determination to get out and do what they love the rest of the world be damned. Not to mention a tad bit of jealousy that they got to go pound the pavement that day and (maybe) I didn’t. And, even if they don’t feel it at that moment, a sense of camaraderie.
So, yeah, runners are just a little bit crazy.
If you don’t believe me yet look at the themes for popular runs. Many of them revolve around holidays, booze, zombies, or all of the above. Go to any of these runs and you’ll see people, adults not being paid to do so, dressed in ridiculous costumes and themed accessories. Holiday runs are some of my favorites.
Maybe if I paint myself green I won’t feel the cold.
Here's a couple random holiday run pics from the past couple of years.
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