Long, cold run

I mentioned in an earlier post how I've been feeling sluggish this week. The last couple of days were no exception. I tried to watch some TV last night around 7. I wouldn't be able to tell you what happened in the series I watched if my life depended on it. I ended up giving in to Sandman around half past eight and woke up nice and rested at the ungodly hour of half past five this morning. At least I got my eight hours of sleep, eh?

I headed out to the hockey arena a little earlier to get 5km in before meeting up with the others. Small snowflakes tickled my nose and it seemed like it was going to be a very nice day. Yesterday's weather forecast for today had threatened with -20 that would make my eyes freeze shut, but the thermometer only showed -11 this morning. As a result, I didn't take any particular precautions against the cold, no more than I usually do, and it worked fine. At least at first.

We hit the snowmobile tracks and must have run into some sort of wonderland. Some trees were so heavy with snow that their branches formed long tunnels under which we ran, bending our backs in order to get under them. Then we were out on a forest road by a clearing and the sunshine that was hidden behind the trees finally found us. We basked in its glory, soaking in its rays, enjoying its warmth. 

Running on snowmobile tracks is not unlike running on trails. They are so uneven and often slippery that they do wonders for foot strength. Not to mention that you get to run in the forest. Unfortunately, I suspect that it puts a lot of pressure on my calf and foot tendon, and that it's not very good for me while my foot is sending me plantar fasciitis warnings. 

The rest of the run was done on tarmac, on roads that split fields in two, fields that were oceans of sparkling snow tempting me to jump in and swim. When we got back, we went into the club's offices quickly to look at some clothes. We can't have stayed there more than 10 minutes, but when I went back outside to run home, my fingers immediately turned into icicles. Fragile icicles that could easily snap in two. I tried breathing warm air into my gloves, tried curling my hand into a fist inside the glove, but nothing seemed to make any difference. How was it possible that -11 felt this cold? The answer was made obvious as soon as I got down to the river. The wind had picked up so the chill factor was closer to -18.

It took me almost an hour, a hot shower and a warm cup of tea to turn my lips from purple back to a healthier pink. In a couple of weeks I'll have to be out for three hours on my long run. I hope it's warmer then.