The Runs (Not the Kind That You Think)

When running in 27 degree weather, make sure to pack plenty of Hall & Oates, Fratellis, and Priscilla Ahn. If it weren't for these guys amd girl, I don't think I would have gotten through my 1.5 mile run in the cold without curling into fetal position and waiting for a good samaritan to pick me up from alongside the road.

I'm pretty sure my lungs were filled with frost.

Since moving out to D.C., I've missed running. Because of the L.A. Marathon, I was used to running at least 5 miles a week total and wanted to keep up with it once I moved to the east coast. To my discontent, the thick, humid summer left something to be desired in terms of running conditions. I still remember my attempt to run to and from the Lincoln Memorial from the UCDC Center one evening in July. Let's just say my encounter with a swarming mass of mosquitoes by the reflection pool traumatized me never to do it again, despite the glorious view from the top of the memorial steps. I resorted to the UCDC center's "gym," which consisted of three treadmills and some weights. Not a fan of sterile exercising environments, I would often imagine myself running in hilly Irvine instead of in a 14 ft. x 14 ft. room with fluorescent lighting.

Once I moved to Maryland, I went running when fall came around. Crunchy leaves became the guiltiest of my simple pleasures. However, winter has been less than cooperative. Snow and freezing temperatures have caused a backlog in my running plans. Yesterday, after having stared longingly out my window at the snow for a month or so, I told myself, "That's it," and put on my running gear, which, in the winter includes a beanie, gloves, and thick leggings. What I failed to do was check the temperature before I left the house, but at that point it probably would have been dismissible, given my overwhelming desire to just run. Some may say it was a bad idea. Others might say it was a VERY bad idea.

I wish I had a camera for every WTF look a driver gave me as I ran past them. The good news, though, is that my sweat glands froze over, so I finished feeling invincible not having broken a sweat the entire length of my run.