Finally thawing out

It's finally winter and as if the 30 degree weather wasn't cold enough let's throw in 20-30 mph gusts...BRRRR. The wind chill made it feel like it was in the teens. I always dress in layers when I run in the cold: winter running tights (light fleece lining on the inside) and then a tank, long sleeve wicking top and a light jacket or fleece. And always gloves. My hands get so cold even when it's not this cold. I mimic the "milking the cow" motion to get blood flowing back into my fingertips and warm them up a bit.

Today I ran with the Pacer's fun run group that's also training for the National Marathon. Some folks were on a taper week and only did 8, some others were up to 18. I did a nice steady 14. A very slow first half with some girls and then a much faster second half on my own. The only thing I noticed was that my knees started to ache a little around mile 8 and then at the end they were just flat out tired. I iced a bit when I got home, but I think I need to go see Dr. Kathy again and start up with my leg exercises

Here are some great winter running tips from the marathon guide.

Crazy Runner Thing to Do:
The picture above is from a Chicago University Polar Bear Run. Some how this is a spin off of the polar bear plunge, where crazy people will get in their bathing suits, often for charity, and jump in some body of water with a bunch of other crazy people. This kind of run sometimes involves people wearing their bathing suits and running a 5k-10k in the dead of winter. But this Chicago race involves people wearing their birthday suits and going for a 5k run. Hence the bear is covering his eyes. As for my, I'll keep my fleece earwarmer and stretchy gloves, thank you very much. Here's funny video from YouTube of a Polar Bear trying to work out (also known as why I hate treadmills)