Crazy Winter Runner

A lot of people think I'm crazy, because most of the time, I don't let the weather interfere with my runs.  I run in the rain (including downpours), I run in the snow, sleet, humidity, etc.  I don't always WANT to run, but I do it anyway.  Some days, I try to talk myself out of it.  Such as yesterday.  It was cold, windy (real feel 1 degree outside), and there was ice and snow on the sidewalk.  I told myself I could just do the elliptical or bike, and I'd be fine.  But I'm stubborn.  And I'm kind of crazy when it comes to routines.  It was my day to run.  Not my day for cross training.  So I forced myself to layer up (Under Armour cold gear tights, tank top, cold gear shirt, sweatshirt, headband, and gloves), and I decided to try out the Yaktrax my sweet husband got me for my birthday.

After about 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to put them on my shoes (user problem, not product problem), I headed out for my 4 mile run.

I was instantly in love with my Yaktrax!  I was afraid they would make me run weird and feel strange on my feet, but when I was running on the snow and ice, I felt like I was running just like any other day.  They didn't feel weird at all.  I slid around a couple of times, but not enough to even feel like I was going to fall.  But that was probably due to me not having the right one on correctly.  It slid up over my shoe a little and the coils were on the side of my shoe vs. the bottom like they should have been.  Again, user problem, not product problem.  I now know how to make sure they're adjusted like they should be, and I don't think I'll have any issues at all the next time.  The only time I slid around was when I was in slushy snow.  If I was running on ice or packed snow, I didn't slide at all.  I did have to make sure to find snow to run on in dry areas so I didn't damage the coils, though.

I never thought I would admit this, seeing as how I started my love of outside running when I lived in Hawaii, but I actually enjoy running in colder weather.  As long as I'm wearing the right clothes (not too much, not too little), cold weather runs always turn out to be the most enjoyable for me.  And it doesn't hurt that I feel like a bit of a bad ass for pushing through it and getting it done despite any obstacles that may arise ;-) I love the strange looks I get when I'm running outside in conditions that keep others indoors.

Happy running everyone!