The Final Freeze

Two miles to go in the January Freeze 10K.

It was 7 degrees for the final January Freeze 10K race. And it snowed the night before so there was a nice little coating of white stuff on the ground to keep life interesting. I briefly considered not running due to the low temperature, but knew I’d regret it later. I bundled up in heavyweight running tights under a pair of lined track pants, two long sleeve running shirts under a very heavy hooded sweatshirt, two pairs of socks, my heavier canvas running shoes (no mesh on these things), a ski mask made for running, and my mittens with a flip-back top so I can cool my off fingers when they get too warm. It all worked because I was only a little cold for the first mile and then quite warm the rest of the race. A lot of runners had cold feet and could barely run. Running shoes are usually very light and made of mesh material to let air circulate. Not good for running in the cold.  Running in the snow was a little difficult. I had to go slow and there were spots where I was sliding around and couldn’t get much traction, but still a good race. 85 runners braved the cold for the final race. Five dropped out after the first mile. I finished with a time of 57:46. Not my best time for a 10K, but not my worst time either.

My running friend was behind me for most of the race, but in the final half mile, she caught up to me and then mange to pass me and beat me by 4 seconds. She’s been running for many years and to lose to her by 4 seconds feels more like a win than a loss.

The next race is in February and it’s a 5K. It’s called the Cupid’s Chase and it’s a national race held in 28 cities. All runners start at the same time regardless of time zones. The entry fee is a little high, $35 in advance and $50 day of, but I’m going to run it. The money goes towards helping people with disabilities and there will be medals and trophies for the winners.

My personal best for a 5K is 26:16. I don't know what happened that day because I thought I was running slow. Then I looked down at my GPS watch and saw I was actually a minute ahead of my usual pace. My average time for 5K is 27:something. I'd like to move into the 25:something range this year, but don't know how my legs and lungs feel about that yet.

Just running is fun; running fast is hard.

Stats:
Freeze 4 (10K (6.2 miles)) time 57:46, pace 9:18