Winter is finally here!

I grew up in upstate NY, and started running while attending college there, so I'm no stranger to running in the cold. 

I took this just before a run in my hometown last winter.

My first 10K took place in the in frigid temperatures while it was snowing. I've been dealing with nasty conditions so long that I once fell so hard while running on ice that my CD flew out of my discman and across the street. 

This was my one and only running accessory in college.

Yes, that's right, I was running ON ice. In upstate NY you don't hit an icy patch by mistake. If you want to run in the winter, you just accept that it's going to be on top of snow and ice and slow it down a bit. 

Nevertheless, running in below freezing conditions is supposed to be something that your body gradually adapts to over several weeks or even months. Due to this crazy unseasonably warm and rapidly changing temperatures, my body (and probably all of ours) is totally confused. 

On Christmas Eve, I did do a long run when it was about 20 degrees out in Rochester. Then I took a week off, and ran for the first time on New Year's Day, in shorts and a t-shirt, because it was nearly 60. Just two days later, Lily and I headed out for a run bundled up in layers (so, so many layers) in weather that felt like 17 degrees. It was snowing at the end! There were also some killer winds, the kind where running into them feels like running in place. We ran 6 miles around her neighborhood at an average 9:21 pace - pretty good considering I'd been at work about five minutes when my principal and a student told me I was too sick to be there and requested that I go home. (It's funny how people always act all concerned and tell teachers to go home, but don't mention the little fact that unless they are going to take over watching your class, you can't actually leave for even a minute, much less go home). 

I was pretty proud that we even got it done. Since it was in the afternoon, I got to listen to the howling winds all day to psych myself up. The horrible day that I'd been dreading had arrived yesterday - it was time to return to work after a full 10 days off. I eased into it by sleeping way in (like, ridiculously late) and then stumbling in to work at the last possible second. To make things even better, something like half the classrooms at my school had no heat, so the kids and teachers in there had to wear all their winter gear to "learn" all day. I was one of the lucky ones that at least had some heat.

Thinking about taking a hot shower, putting on my Forever Lazy, and eating some chili that had been cooking in my new fancy crockpot all day got me through the run. Yes, I fantasize about the Forever Lazy.

Who watches Biggest Loser? It's a huge event in our household that we look forward to like crazy. I won't give anything away, but I will say that it's hilarious to watch with my husband because he HATES the black contestants and gets so pissed at them every year. Let's look at a little more Dolvett. I can never get enough.

Tonight I'm attempting boot camp at a gym that I have a 12 day trial pass for. Cross your fingers that I survive.

What's the coldest temperature/worst conditions that you will run in?