now that’s brisk!
i rolled out of bed this morning and dialed up weather.com to find that the temperature was 4 degrees – fahrenheit – in waukesha. i geared up with a balaclava in addition to my hat plus my new underarmor cold gear gloves. for my torso i went with the nike dri-fit compression shirt plus the craft zip turtleneck topped off with my asics jacket. on the legs, i went with the nike dri-fit tights plus my asics windpants.
why all the fuss about gear? honestly, it’s what makes 4 degrees reasonable to run in.
i walked out the door and (not so) patiently waited for my gps to sync. the sky was clear with the big dipper right overhead and the moon hanging low to the south. i moseyed down comanche and picked up the glacial drumlin trail heading towards wales. the trail was fairly well plowed out but when i came up on CTH TT, large mounds of snow were on either side of the trail due to the snow plows on the road. i carefully climbed over each mound and kept heading west. after i was out about 1.25 miles down the trail, the plowing was less obvious. i ended up turning around shortly thereafter and began the trek home.
by this time, my eyelashes began to freeze together due to sweat plus cold temps. i tried blinking more frequently which helped initially but became less and less effective. i navigated my way back up the hill on comanche and went straight in the front door of my house. glancing at my reflection in the mirror, i noticed not only that my eyelashes were frozen but that my hat had ice deposits coving it.
regardless, i mustered six miles in about 52 minutes and hit the shower.