I said brrrr, it’s cold out there!

Hello, hello!

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So, are you affected by the Polar Vortex?

It is seriously cold out there.

Lots of school systems in this and surrounding areas have closed or either have delayed openings today and there’s not a single flake of snow falling from the sky!

I understand the reasoning though. It’s unfortunate but many children don’t have proper clothing for these kinds of temperatures.

And, in my area, there are lots of people that live far out in the boonies and have driveways that are at least a 1/2-mile long so these kids can’t just stand by the window and watch for the bus.

I like that the school systems chose safety this morning. 🙂

This polar vortex really caused a drastic change in our temperature.

Yesterday morning, it was 63 degrees and rainy.

By the time I woke up from falling asleep on the couch last night, it was 31 degrees.

Then, this morning –

Holy. Moly.

That’s almost a 50 degree drop in 24 hours!!!

And, wouldn’t you know it, this crazy person actually went for a run this morning.

Oh hey, that’s me!

Yeah, I ran.  Outside.  On purpose.  No, nothing was chasing me.

4 days until the Mississippi Blues marathon and, while I’m in my taper, that doesn’t mean I can skip a running day.

Aaaannd, I don’t have a treadmill, so…..out the door I went!

I layered up (probably could have added one more layer like my lightweight rain jacket), wore my super warm (yet boring) hat, and wished like crazy I had a running scarf or balaclava and some warmer socks.

Honestly, the coldest part of me was my nose.

And that was only when the wind was blowing.

BRRR!

I am glad I got out though. 🙂

And, interestingly enough, this morning Runner’s World shared this article on running in the cold:

Tips for Running in Sub-Zero Weather

Many people can avoid running in the cold (all my Arizona & Southern California  friends can kiss my cold booty right now! Ha! 🙂 j/k) but, not everybody can (talking to you people in the frigid northwest!) so, knowing how to be safe is good.

And, just in case you get caught up in, say, a random polar vortex, you might want to know what to wear outside so you don’t lose your little piggies!

For example, did you know there is such as thing as “cold weather shoes?”

Me either!

As someone who suffers from Raynaud’s Syndrome, my toes and fingers can really suffer on cold morning runs.

I always have gloves but I am definitely going to look into cold weather shoes.  Sometimes it’s really hard to enjoy a run when you can’t feel your toes.

Talk to me: Long sleeve shirts with thumb holes – love or hate?

I personally love them especially for really cold days, as long as the sleeves are long enough. Long sleeves that shrink up a little make the thumb holes a little uncomfortable, in my opinion.

– jennifer