Winter Running - Slip Sliding Away

 

I often wonder what people think as they pass me on a cold winter morning.    I know what a few of them think because they yell it out the window as they drive by.  Most times it’s not complementary.     Running regularly takes a certain amount of commitment and fortitude.  Running in winter needs that plus a certain a degree of mental handicap.    So on a particularly slushy morning when a passing motorist yells “Crazy SOB”, I’m reticent to disagree with them.   They’re probably just jealous they can’t be out there with me.

The range of weather really defines winter running.   There’s cold, cold with wind, cold with rain, cold with wind and rain, cold with wind and snow….you get the picture.  Running in rain is manageable, snow is trouble, slush is worst, and Ice is the enemy.    Wind makes them all nastier.   Last winter was fairly mild with no snow and only a handful of really cold days.  This year Mother Nature is making up for it with 40 inches of snow in the last two weeks.  

Winter running does have its benefits.   You don’t sweat as much, you don’t suck in bugs panting up a hill, fewer dogs out to chase you, and you get to wear wooly hats that look like a racoon has taken up residence on your head.   But it’s not all lollipops and ice cream.   Here’s a few things I’ve learn over the years, usually the hard way. 

-         Icicles can form in the strangest places.   On your mustache and eye brows, on your hair, and off your hat and gloves.  

-         When it gets below 20 degrees, I have to double up on everything.  Two shirts, two pairs of socks, two pair gloves and running tights with wind pants over them.  Only one hat though.   It’s a bit of a miracle I can even move after I’m dressed.

-         Tights are never to be worn without wind pants over them.   My neighbors are not ready for the sight of "Dave in Tights".

-         Always bring a hanky.  The cold makes your nose run and an icicle hanging from your nose is just nasty.

-         Getting splashed by passing cars is a given in the rain.  When it snows the streets get narrower making dodging the spray from cars that much tougher.  I not as agile dodging the slush waves as I use to be.  There’s nothing worse than being miles from home and caked in ice from your knee down.

-         Running mornings when it’s dark can be a form of Russian Roulette.   Even with a headlamp it’s hard to pick out the icy patches.  It’s not unusual to see me skating around a corner, arms flailing and feet doing unnatural acts.  It supplies great entertainment for the school kids waiting at the bus stop.

I suspect some of you are thinking, “why would anyone voluntarily do this”.     I think we’ve established in the past that when it comes to running, I may be a few beers short of a six pack.    There are some days, when even the dogs don’t want to go out, I need an extra cup of caffeine and kick in the butt to get out the door.  But the reality is there are a lot more “nice” days than bad, and on the good days there something special about starting your day getting a bit of exercise, being outside and watching the sun come up.    Part of getting out is remembering that only a few years ago I had to spend most of a winter unable to even leave the hospital floor.    I often think about the kids with cancer going through the same isolation, an isolation we’ve certainly gotten a small taste of in the last year.    Finding ways to bring them and their families a bit of joy is the goal of both my running and the efforts of Help in the Nick of Time.    So, the next time you are hunkered down on a particularly nasty winter day, think of me and be glad that my form of insanity has passed you by.