-35'C is Delightful!

So one night assume that the title of today's post is tongue in cheek and while I would much rather be running in seasonal temperatures rather than these arctic ones, it was rather true yesterday. Last weekend we hit -43'C and it was miserably cold...yesterday though we had no wind. It was AWESOME. Yes it was cold, yes it was frosty, yes I ended up having to pace the 2:30 group when it's leader had to turn back due to frozen feet, but it was the most fun I'd had on a run in weeks!

Sure maybe it had a little something to do not having to push my own pace, true maybe I would have liked to pick up the pace to be able to warm up a bit more but we finished the full distance. Something many of my buddies didn't do...they turned back for a variety of reasons each and every one a sound one. You never flirt with the cold in weather like this. If you're under dressed, turn back...plain and simple.

We ran 10km and finished strong. With an average of 13:48 per mile I wasn't even winded and I love that. It shows how much I've grown over the last 6 months. Next week we move up to 12km and I can't wait to be able to run my own pace again!

There's something happening in my running club though. I think this cold is starting to break them. Veteran runners are talking about moving our run location to an indoor track. Really? We don't even know what the weather is going to be like yet! I'm certain it'll be more of the same so I'm dreading when I have to say thanks, but no thanks. I'll run on my own if I have to. The 1/2 we're training for is at the end of February...which is typically weather like this. Yes this cold sucks, but when you find a clothing combination that works you're fine!

Do i wish I could ditch my thick layers for sleek and sexy run tights? Sure! Am I going to? NO WAY! I bought cheap ski pants for snowshoeing and those are what I'm running in. What happens if they wear out? They wear out. I spent $500.00 this winter on new winter running gear for the smaller body...every piece guaranteed to be all you need to make it through a Winnipeg winter. Each and every one of them failed to do so...individually and combined. So now I fall back to survival training. Thick and warm = awkward but frostbite free!

On a more concerning note it would seem my ankle pain is the result of a closed off tarsal tunnel. Not happy. I don't know if it's just from tight muscles/ligaments but when the rest of the world wakes up this morning I'm going to make a phone call to a physio place. I don't know if I'll get in before Christmas but I sure hope so. It's time to get preventative on this thing...I have big goals set for this year and I'm not going to let this get out of control.

I plan to take the week of Christmas off of running to let my body heal, so here's hoping everything feels better soon.