Who turned off the heat?

I woke up sore this morning from P90X Legs and Back yesterday. It's been a while since I've done that workout, and since my husband didn't do it with me yesterday, I did it pretty hard. Running after that workout is always a bit of a chore, but I felt like I wanted to shake out the sore muscles so a run seemed in order.

Normally, I'd do my long run on Thursday, but since this Thursday was Thanksgiving, I opted to hold off until the weekend. I wasn't quite sure if that would be today or tomorrow. I always kind of play it by ear. Especially now that winter is upon us. In Minnesota, you never quite know how that weather will change from minute to minute.

I slept in this morning too...which was kind of nice for a change. Waking up at 8am puts a completely different perspective on the day. But the temperature read 8° so obviously, I wanted to hold off until it warmed up at least a little bit. But the sun was shining so that was a plus.

By 10am, it had climbed to 16°. Honestly, I like 20°. 20° doesn't sound quite as cold as 16°. So I held off just a bit more. My husband already went for his walk and said it wasn't too bad outside. The wind was calm and the sun was shining, so I went and got changed.

Still 19° at 11am, but my instincts were telling me to go now or not at all. So I went. By this time, the sun was gone, and a slight breeze picked up out of somewhere. I'm not quite sure which direction because as I ran, it never seemed NOT to be coming straight at me.

It took me a good 2 miles to loosen up, and I warmed up pretty fast. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to leave the wrap around my mouth up or down. I was having a hard time getting enough oxygen with it over my face, so I ended up running with it down for the first 4 miles. After that, I was able to put it back up because I was breathing more rhythmically. I'm pretty sure I looked like a well-dressed terrorist.

There was nothing remarkable about this run, except that there was a lot of traffic. There is a cut it yourself Christmas Tree lot right up this road that I run, and there were cars everywhere! Otherwise, I felt like I had a super steady pace, despite the cold. Mile 3.5 would be my turnaround or continue on point, and I decided to continue on, that is how good I felt. My new turnaround would be mile 5.

By mile 6.5, I was getting significantly cold. It seems I have some sort of point in my runs where my body heat decides it's gonna shut down. I was dressed in two layers from head to toe, and I'd think that would be enough. Clearly it is for that distance, then it just starts getting cold. I was actually considering a call home at this point, but the 3.5 miles remaining I could jog if I needed to.

Still, the pace I had was working, so I continued on. The last trudge uphill was killer, and I shortened my stride and dug in until the end. My hammies were considerably cold and getting tight at this point, and I didn't want to strain them by keeping a longer stride.

Made it 10 miles. Pleased, and surprised at what I could do in 20° weather! All injuries are gone, as well. Love that! Ready to keep training as long as the weather will allow it!

Weather: Cloudy, cold, slight breeze. Temperature 20°.
Clothing: UnderArmour Base II thermals, long sleeved mock neck thermal top, long spandex pants, Brooks Launch, Turtle Fur hat and gaiter, gloves, and a neon shirt thrown over for visibility.