Running in the cold

Today I ran outside in the cold for the first time ever - it was about 20 degrees out. I had on my special, expensive jacket, my special, expensive socks, and my special, expensive hat. I got a little cold in the 20 minutes that I was running, so I've decided I really DO need to get a special, expensive performance/technical shirt and pants.

But the run itself was fantastic. I could feel the muscles in my legs working in new ways as I had to run across some snow. I was being VERY careful not to run on any ice, even stopping and carefully walking over icy patches. I managed to do about a 10:22 mile, which wasn't bad, considering my normal workout pace is an exact 10-minute mile.

I think I'm going to try to do as many runs outside as possible, weather permitting. Something about running in the snow was really relaxing. I didn't even concentrate too much on my breathing, which is always a struggle with me, since I have asthma. Since I take my inhaler, I never have a hard time breathing, but it seems like I focus on it a lot, which can distract me from my run.

So I didn't freeze to death or get chapped cheeks, both of which were a real concern to me before I started out this afternoon.

- Lynette