Cold weather changes everything

This morning it was probably somewhere around 40ish degrees when I woke up at 5am to meet my group for our 8 mile run. I put on my favorite Nike shorts, Team in Training shirt, and I threw on one of D's big long sleeved shirts for warmth. I honestly thought this would be okay, because it would warm up some as we ran, my body would heat up, and I'd be wishing to shed layers along the way if I dressed too warmly.

Well, I was wrong.

The sun did come out as we were running, and it probably did warm up slightly. However, it stayed pretty darn cold, and not only was it cold, but it was quite windy. The top half of my body was doing alright. It took some getting used to breathing in the cold air, and my nose was running and my eyes were watering, but it was manageable. What was going on in the lower half of my body was much harder to deal with.

Ever since chemo, I've had some problems with circulation. I frequently get numbness in my hands and feet, but it generally goes away pretty quickly as long as I apply some heat. Well, I didn't count on my legs going numb. From my hip flexor down to my knees, my quads were lifeless. It felt like I was running while carrying a ton of dead weight. It was the ODDEST sensation, but it served as a wake up call that cooler conditions mean dressing differently.

Post-run, we had our honored teammate breakfast, and as one of the teammates, I stuck around for a while after my run. It was actually really nice, I got to meet some more of my teammates, tell them a little bit more about me, and it made me all the more committed to what I was doing. D stopped by the breakfast to support me and meet some people, and I introduced him as they guy who doesn't kill me when the alarm goes off at 5am on Saturday mornings :).

After the breakfast, I immediately dragged myself over to Academy to invest in a pair of dryfit running pants. I have so long resisted anything tight, clingy, and long, but I finally realize why people wear them! I am going to be running in January, and I won't make it through 13 miles with dead legs. I also invested in some gloves, since one of the coaches had to loan me hers during the breakfast since my hands had lost all feeling, and a headband that also covers my ears. I think I have covered all the parts of me that tend to freeze up, so hopefully next weekend's run (if it is cold) will be a lot easier.

Not sure what's on the agenda tonight, but I can't seem to make myself leave bed right now. Saturday afternoons have become deliciously lazy. I come home from running, take a bath, put on pajamas, and crawl back into bed. Today I've been watching tv, sometimes I read, and sometimes I fall right back to sleep. I think a nap might be in order next.....