Running in the Polar Vortex

Sometimes the most challenging runs are the best runs (or best memories). I think it's because we show ourselves just how strong we can be, that we won't break so easily.

I live in the D.C. area (which basically covers from Rockville, MD to Quantico, VA). During this ridiculous "polar vortex" last week, we experienced our coldest day in twenty years!

When I left for work on Tuesday morning, my body actually hurt from the cold weather. As I sat eating my instant oatmeal inside my car, waiting for my car to warm up a little bit, I checked the ambient temperature. 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -17 degrees Celsius). I cried a little on the inside.

I don't own a pair of every day gloves, but my boyfriend's mother had made me a pair of fingerless gloves which I wear everywhere now. They keep my palms and wrists warm. My fingertips were hurting on my drive to work because it was still so cold inside my car (and they were bare).

After it warmed up a little that day, getting into the "teens," my hopes rose for my run. I had to work a little later than usual, so my run was later than usual---in the dark, just after 6pm. My boyfriend is out of town, so I tried to be a bit safer by wearing my glow vest (which also blinks in the back). Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

The temperature read 13 degrees Fahrenheit, but it was supposed to feel like 9 degrees F. I was not prepared. I wore a long-sleeved rulu shirt, a short sleeved technical tee, capri spandex, socks/shoes, running gloves, and a balaclava. Literally 50 yards into my run, I thought maybe it was a bad idea. No, I kept running.

I had my balaclava up around my face like a ninja mask, but I realized that wasn't a great idea. My breath would just be funneled upwards, into my eyes, freezing on my eyelashes. I quickly made them into ear warmers, grateful that I had put some lotion on my face before the run (less cracking in the cold air).

My fingers started to hurt, and I wished I had a pair of gloves like Steph bought Jack last year (gloves with a mitten cover). I just pulled my fingers out of the gloved fingers and balled up my hands inside the center part of the gloves. Suck it up, I told myself. Just do it.

Positive thought: it's not snowing and there is no snow/ice on the ground. Yay!
Positive thought: the cold makes me run faster!

I ran past an empty Chop't (salad place) and a very full, steamy Starbucks, which made me smile and laugh.

Finally, I reached my halfway point, where I could look at how the river changed into the North Pole. Something about looking down at it, all the frozen chunks, made me laugh with delight. I started to wonder if the cold can make me go silly crazy. My stomach started to hurt, and I wondered if it was because I hadn't eaten a meal since noon or if the cold could make me sick.

Now, the most epic part of my run. I spend 90% of my day not interacting/talking with people. A lot is pent up inside my head. I think sometimes I'm beginning to lack interpersonal skills. Anyways, I was crossing a CROSSWALK with the WALK signal lit, when a lady TURNING LEFT, honks her horn AT ME. I lost it. I turned toward her, waved my hands in the air, and shouted at the top of my lungs, "I HAVE THE WALK SIGNAL! F*** YOU!!" I continued to run, blasting up the long hill, my face heated, and my center hot as coals. Being pissed off can warm you up.

As I started to get cold again, I took solace in the thought that I had only one mile left, that I wasn't going to freeze or lose any body parts to frostbite, and that I could take a hot shower soon.

Lessons learned:
- Glow vests don't help.
- Mittens, not gloves, are best.
- A jacket and long spandex would have been a better choice...or just more layers!

After I warmed up inside with a 45 minute yoga session, I had a hot shower, ate a hot dinner, drank hot cocoa, and slept well under hot blankets.

The next day, after work, I noticed that my water bottles in the car were still frozen. By Friday, they were liquid again, and I was able to drink them after my killer lift/run session. I realized that I need to be like water sometimes--adaptable, going with the flow.