I am a bit obsessive about the weather. I think when you run outside in the winter you kind of have to be.
However, unfair = when the weather does something that your iPhone or local meteorologist did not warn you about. If anyone lives in the Denver area and ran this morning you know what I mean.
I have lived in Colorado for 20 years. I know the weather changes quickly and drastically. We have a saying here that is so overused I roll my eyes every time I hear it: “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes.”
I am usually pretty damn prepared. But, this morning? What the f&ck with the f&cking fast temperature drop? F&ck!
Ken and I started out on an innocent 6 mile trail run. The temperature was 58 degrees and sunny. Little wind. I wore shorts and a t-shirt, do did he.
I knew the weather was going to cool off later in the day – into the 30s by 3pm. NBD. By that time I’d be lying on the couch under a blanket.
We hit the turn around point at three miles of climbing. The wind was starting to pick up, but it was still sunny. I felt kind of cold, but nothing worth bitching about.
Mile 4. It all changed. I could feel the air turn from cool to freezing. I knew we only had a couple of miles to go, all downhill, which on trails can take a bit. The wind picked up even more. The freezing air became arctic. My exposed head, arms and hands HURT. Like, really HURT.
We kept descending into the extreme wind. I am not a pussy when I run. I try not to complain. But by the time we had 1.5 miles to go I was on the verge of a breakdown.
I momentarily stopped to see if I could somehow shelter my arms and hands for a minute. Ken came up behind me and said, “Don’t stop. We have to keep moving. Just GO!” By all the drama involved you would have thought we were caught in a burning building and only had 2 minutes to get out.
I swear that last mile we descended 800 feet in about 8 minutes. I was hopping over roots and rocks like my life depended on it. It was brutal.
We jumped in the car cussing, rocking back and forth, carrying on. These are the times that make you closer as a couple –> NOT. I looked at the temperature:
What the hell had happened in an hour? We went from 58 degrees to 22 degrees. Wind chill was probably –100.
Yes, today I learned some lessons.
1. Saying “f&ck” while you run does not make you any less cold.
2. This is not an outfit for 22 degree weather.
3. When it is that cold and you are that desperate you couldn’t give a crap if your nose is running.
4. It does not help to try to put your entire hands and arms into your shirt while running downhill. That, in fact, is a recipe for disaster.
5. Carry arm warmers and gloves and a down coat and a space heater and a stove and cup ‘0 noodles…just in case.
Ever been ULTRA unprepared for the weather on a run?
SUAR
