Running through the NE seasons

As I become more and more of a "real" runner, and have been running every day, I find that the weather can effect my run more than anything else. The change of seasons are such a part of the life in NE and each season has its own running challenges.
In the middle of July when I try and run a few miles around the block, I can barely breath after 5 minutes. I swear that this is the worse season to be a runner. The only thing enjoyable about summer running is the ease it is to go... no gear, no layering... sneakers, water, sunscreen and go..

I ran home from basketball on Sunday afternoon. All day I had been studying the skies, measuring the snow fall and monitoring the wind speed. I contemplated the drudgery of the dreadmill, for I know that my days of dreadmill running are nearly here. I studied the sidewalks, and looked for other runners so I could judge the measure of cold and pain on their faces.

I knew that I would end up running outside, but mentally all that contemplating was necessary. So, after many discussions of what to wear, how much to wear, which route to take and how much daylight I had before I would be running in the dark, I set off.

The course from the high school to home is a straight 5 miles down the bike path, through town and out to our neighborhood. There is plenty of traffic in case I needed help, and plenty of friends' houses along the way in case I had an emergency.

Honestly, from my warm chair, looking back it was not that bad and I got my run in and over with.

When I was outside with the wind and snow swirling around me I felt like a foolish, crazy, idiot. The first 2 miles were fine, I was overdressed and stopped to take a layer off and take off my hat. The third mile was long and tiring and the sun went down and I found myself in the dark. Mile four and five were foolish. The temperature was below freezing and the bike path went in and out of the woods and up and down a few rolling hills, which were now frozen and slippery. I have been too cheap to buy a second pair of running shoes, the kind that I need to run outside in the winter, goretex with some traction. So, in my web mesh uppers I went sliding in to home for mile 5, in the dark and the wind and the snow.

It is a run like this that does make me feel like a real runner. Despite the fact that it took me nearly 60 minutes to make it home, I was out there, running like a crazy person.