So I had to go running outside no matter what today. I drove to American Fork to run my familiar route. The car said 17 degrees. I know lots of people go running outside at this temperature but this was new to me. I had no idea how many layers to wear. I thought about skiing and kind of based my decisions on that. I started at 6:35. It was still dark so I had a head lamp on and reflective vest for safety. There was so much extra weight with all the layers and my water belt. It felt weird. So different from my treadmill runs!
Once I got going the cold didn't bother me and I felt just right. I think you have to be a runner to appreciate port-a-potties. (Must have been the temperature but I needed one by mile 3) Luckily there was one by a construction site. I was so happy to see it! After that I kept chugging along and enjoyed seeing the sky light up. I took a few pictures along the way. At one point my vision seemed blurry but I realized it was moisture forming on my eye lashes.
My body hated me by mile 9. There were spots where it was colder and it was hard to keep my face warm. My water bottles froze. Thank goodness I found a church that was open so I could thaw the water bottles and refill them. Luckily the last 3 miles were downhill. I finished and felt so tired. I felt like I had never run a day in my life and then just all of a sudden ran 14 miles. I blame that on the treadmill. I'm so glad Phil said we will have an early spring. Although after reading a little about Groundhog's Day I realized that it's only 39% accurate. Here's to an early spring so I can do more runs outside! I'm not so sure about this winter training. 10 more weeks until the Salt Lake Marathon!
