SSSSeven MMMMMile TuTuTuTuesday....brrrr

I will start by saying I knew it would be cold. A system has moved in, and it had not been pleasant. That being said....holy cow. Wore all the clothing I usually wear when it is cold, and I was still frigid the entire run. But more on that at the end.

For some reason...when I set my alarm last night for 5:20 I did not acually turn it on. So it was by a small chance of luck that I woke up at 5:28. Maybe my brain knows how important it is for me to get out for my scheduled run. Or maybe I was just lucky today. Either way...it worked.

Was out the door and to my starting point by around 6:00. The two short blocks were enough to make my fingers start to hurt. I was anxiously awaiting for the top of the hill, so I could get some circulation going and warm up....it just didn't seem to happen today.

The first couple of miles were pretty uneventful. It was cold...but the wind was not blowing at all...so it was quite peaceful....until I passed an unfortunate car that had the horn blaring non-stop. Felt bad for whomever owned the vehicle, because I am sure it drained the battery dead. The horn was still going 30 minutes later, when I passed for the second time.

I decided to do a 3 mile loop and then a four mile loop. I thought going up the hill three times but discourage me a little bit. Not sure if it was a good decision or not, but at least it broke up the scenery a little bit. Sometimes I like the reptition of the hill...other days...it is nice to shake things up a little bit. Changing my running route is pretty spontaneous for someone that is as anal-retentive and into planning as I am.

Second time up the hill I was still just chilled to the bone. I tried to pick up the pace a tiny bit. I think that survival of the species kind of kicked in. I wanted to warm up...and that was the only way I could think of to do so. In my head it helped a little...

By the top of the hill my joints had kind of locked into their range of motion. It became harder to change my foot speed and cadence. But that was nothing compared to how locked my elbows felt. I actually ran for awhile with my arms extended just to try to get the blood back and kill the sensation a little bit. It was truly an odd feeling.

Last couple of miles...I did not feel all that tired. I could have pushed much harder. One thing about the intense cold, is that it really keeps me from feeling the normal muscle/IT pain that I tend to get. I must say that I really enjoyed the last two miles even though I was sooooo cold.

When I got home...the shower was not my friend. Had to turn it on luke warm just to stop the stinging. But....muscles felt good. They have been pretty decent all day. So it was a good tradeoff. My time for 7:01 miles was 1 hour and 8 minutes even. Or around 9 minute and 44 second miles.....felt good....felt hardcore....felt like a runner! Thanks for reading.