Racing Hearts, Tangled Limbs, and Sweat Drenched Bodies

I'm about to tell you about an amazing experience I had recently. This experience involved me and 12 young and pretty fit women I had never met before. It started with me getting undressed and ended with me feeling better than I have in a long time while taking a cold shower. I even had to stop in the middle of it to rehydrate myself, fearing I would cramp up and have to stop.

Last Wednesday I took a leap of faith and tried hot yoga for the first time. If you haven't tried hot yoga, you are missing out. It has all the tranquility of combining movement with intentional breath-work and all the shear discomfort and panic of sweating your ass off in a 95 degree room.

Now I'm not a small guy. When I sweat I pour. When I stepped into the 95 degree room for the first time, it didn't take long. I was about 5 minutes early for class. I laid out my mat and began to sweat while I waited for class to start. I looked around and noticed that I was the only guy in the room. I started to get a bit self conscious about these women undressing me with their eyes. I quickly realized that my clothes would be heavy with sweat and therefore far too heavy for their eyes to peel off of my sweat drenched body.

As I began to do the poses I felt even more self conscious. I'm not good at yoga. Some of the students were doing things I had only seen Gumby do. On top of that as I stretched to pull off some of the poses I realized my shirt was sticking to my body and revealing my white passenger (Dexter's dark passenger is an urge that drives him to kill serial killers, my white passenger is my Jim Gaffigan-esque pale skin).

I wasn't thrilled that my pail skin was on display for all to view. That's when it hit me. I was surrounded by young women wearing skin tight yoga pants and I was so focused on not falling/puking/fainting/dying to really notice. I no longer cared about me or them and focused on the yoga. That's the beauty of yoga, it takes all your concentration to not fall on your face so you don't get to focus on all the stresses from life.

Several skipped poses and water breaks later, I had survived my first hot yoga experience. Oddly enough, the combination works well. I feel so much better after a session of sweating with several strangers.

So you might be asking, like I once did, why the hell would someone choose, let alone pay to go through that? I know several people that would describe this exact scenario as their own personal hell. After looking into it I realized this could be one way to get several key benefits out of one workout.

Heat Tolerance
I am awful in the heat. My body can't cope with it and I end up slowing down and eventually shutting down. I may have finished my super hot marathon in Texas, but I sure didn't enjoy it. I'm hoping my body learns to sweat to cool myself down without depleting my body's salt levels.

Flexibility
I have never been flexible. I got hit by a Harley Davidson motorcycle while riding my bike to the gym when I was 14. My doctor put a 13 inch titanium bar in my tibia and screwed my fibula to my tibia and the bar. I was laid up for 3 months and my flexibility declined severely and I never worked very hard to gain it back.

If most people at 50% legs and 50% torso, I'd say I am about 40% legs 60% torso. I'm 5'10 but step on pants with a 29" inseam. If I can gain some flexibility the hope is that I can increase my stride length and help my speed out a bit.

Weight Loss
I've lost 30 lbs. since my heaviest weigh in that started my journey to living a healthier lifestyle. Burning calories is a key factor to the "eat less, move more" equation. Working out in hot temps burns more calories than working out in milder temps. And the lighter you are the faster you can move.

Core Strength
I hate ab workouts. They make me feel hungry. If I lost 100 lbs. I'm convinced I still wouldn't have a six pack because the muscles never get any attention. Did I mention I hate ab workouts? I do. I hate them. Like Itchy hates Scratchy, like the Coyote hates the Roadrunner, like my H.S. English teacher hated me. I don't know if core strength does diddly squat for running but people always act like it does. So why not.

Cross Training
I may be a runner but after my first yoga class it was clear how much more strength I could have in my legs. This will help me stay injury free and can allow me to run more often without risking an overuse injury.

Only time will tell. In the 4 days I have been in town since I got the unlimited monthly pass, I've gone 3 times. I can even squeeze my class in at lunch time and shower after and head back to making the world a more delicious place.

An Open Letter to Childless Travelers

Dear Childless Traveler,

I know my kid is crying, I know he's kicking your seat, and I know he's looking at you between the seats when you just want to relax and read a magazine or catch a few Zs on the flight. But you should know that it could be worse. Much worse.

Firs off, remebmer that it's inconvenient to you but it's way worse for us.

People pay a lot more money for front row seats at their favorite concert for a reason. The experience is so much more vidid, the lead singer can reach out and touch you, and the music seems to envelop every molecule of your soul.

The same goes for the front row seat of a mid air meltdown. Except this lead singer isn't high fiving his fans. He's kicking them in the face. The lead singer isn't hitting a perfect note that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. He's screeching at the top of his lungs, saying the most disrespectful words that he just knows will push your buttons. The lead singer isn't engaging in transitional story telling or playful banter. He's laughing at your futile attempts to control his behavior and to reason with him.

So yes, it sucks for you, but remember, it sucks for us even more. Ask any parent if they would rather trade in their front row seats for some nose bleeds.

Lastly, it could be worse. Most parents put a ton of thought and preparation into preparing for flying with a young one. Will it conflict with nap time? Do we need to pack food so the kid isn't hungry? What toys can we bring that will occupy them but not disturb others? Do we have something they can drink so they can pop their ears? The list really goes on and on.

And I know that we chose to have kids and that you may not have. But the key to remember is that we don't have to do all of those things. We don't do any of those things for us. We do them for you. Think about that. Let it sink in.

What many childless travelers are not aware of (I know I wasn't when I was one), is that we can completely tune out our own child for a 3-4 hour flight, no problem. We've endured enough tantrems in our day to completely ignore the blood curdling screams, the kicking and hitting, the name calling. We can turn a cheek to all of the behavior and let them do their worse.

So the next time you get annoyed because a kid is raising and lowering the beverage tray excessively, remember there's a parent stopping that kid from pulling your hair. When the kid is peeking at you through the seat for a minute or two, remember that same kid would be content staring at you for 2 hours straight. Any facial expression you make would be mirrored back to you and only encourage the little one to continue. And when you do hear that occasional peep out of my kid, rest assured that you could listen to him scream at the top of his lungs all flight long and I wouldn't hear a thing.

Fuck me handing you a "sorry for the disturbance" gift. You ought to be buying me Starbucks considering I paid just as much for his seat as you did for yours.

Sincerely,

Every parent that has ever taken a kid on plane, ever. (Especially the ones before iPads were invented)

I Want A Pair of Yoga Pants

I'm sure you have all seen them. The tight black pants women wear that you either love or hate. I personally love them. I think it is one of the most enjoyable fashion trends ever. I am very thankful that this fad came along while I am nearing 30 as opposed to 20.

Frankly. I can't imagine how I would have passed High School OR College. It's been enough of a challenge having ADHD throughout my life. I couldn't imagine trying to pay attention to anything other than the cute girl in yoga pants next to me, let alone Shakespeare or The History of Central Asia; The Silk Route to Afghanistan.

I've often wondered why women chose to wear pants that look like they are painted on. The common response I always here is:

"They are SOOOO comfortable."
"But they are SOOO tight"
"They stretch"
"Isn't it harder to move?"
"No it's easier, just like running tights"

That's when I had an epiphany. I LOVE wearing my running tights. I would wear them all day if they weren't so hot. Mine are designed to be worn in single digit weather while running so they have extra thick lining. It also isn't socially acceptable for a man to wear tights. But honestly, since when have I cared about what is and isn't socially acceptable. (I was a cheerleader in HS, I paint my toes, I get my son a toy kitchen, etc.)

There is also the issue of the tights highlighting my package. I am pretty damn comfortable with my body regardless of how comfortable other people are with it. I've been known to partake in a game of strip flip cup a time or two. You may see a post next year about me running a race completely naked. However, I am slightly aware that while I may be comfortable with it, that doesn't mean everyone else will be.

But I recently decided I'm going to find a pair. I looked at Lululemon like many people suggested. They have only one pair of yoga tights for men and they are thick as well. The other men's yoga pants/tights I see have crazy athletic looking designs that are meant to "stabilize the athlete," but I think it has more to do with making a guy feel more secure in that fact that he's wearing tights.  My search continues. I am hoping to find a pair that are thin enough that I won't sweat profusely in them.

I'm hoping I can find some for men but am becoming more and more skeptical that that will happen. And if I am forced to buy women's yoga pants, I'm curious how comfortable that will be for both me and others due to the differences in the cut. If you have any solutions. Let me know.

More Men Should Get Pedicures

I have to admit, I've always thought I had great feet for a guy. Despite playing football for years my feet stayed soft and attractive, even if they didn't smell the greatest. My wife was 9 months pregnant with our son when some friends asked us to go to a Badger Basketball game. The due date was nearing and we were going crazy so we took any distraction we could get.

The game wasn't for a couple hours and we were in Madison about 40 minutes from home. So we decided to stay and kill some time. My wife wanted to get a pedicure so I said, "let's do it." We walked into the place and an asian woman told us to pick out the colors we wanted. I had planned on getting a pedicure but not painted. I decided, what the hell.

I picked out Badger Red and White. The ladies laughed at me but sure enough they gave me the pedicure and painted my nails Red and White. I had them alternate every other toe so that the red and white stood out a bit.

I'll admit it was a bit of a surprise the next morning when I tiredly went to hop in the shower and I looked down and saw painted toe nails. But it wasn't long before the shock wore off. My new painted toes grew on me quite a bit.

My nails grew and soon the red and white were nearly gone. Just six weeks later a good friend had a bachelor party in Arizona. We were all heading down for the Brewers spring training games. I decided to show my team proud and found a great match for the brewers Blue and Gold. The first day I broke out my sandals I had forgotten that men don't normally paint their toes. I had been looking at painted toes for a couple months now. When one of the other guys noticed it, I was greeted by a "What the fuck is that!?" I casually responded, "What? They're Brewers colors."

I got a hassle but it soon passed. I enjoyed the pedicures and painted toes much more than I disliked the occasional comments I got from people. It makes me laugh when I forget I go to the doctors or get a massage and they are shocked to see them. It's quite fun to see peoples reactions.

I recently went out with my wife to celebrate a long 2 weeks during my job transition. Most couples do dinner and movie. We did pedicures and a steak house. I have to give Polished Nail Bar in Milwaukee a plug. They did a Sugar Scrub, a Paraffin Wax Peel, and a great massage. I could feel the softness in between my toes for several days. It was fantastic. They also had the Badger Football game on the big screen so I didn't have to miss the game.

This time I went with Black and Orange for Halloween. They orange even glows in black light. The best part of painting your toes is that you only have to show the people you want to. I refer to it as "my own personal weirdness." My two year old son loves to go toe by toe and say what color each one is.

But my nails are starting to grow out a month later. So what color should I go with next? I need some suggestions.

Falling Back In Love

I feel like me and the outdoors have been in an estranged marriage. We're still technically married, we see each other everyday as we both go about our business around the house.  I'm doing my thing, she's doing hers. I think I still love her but I sure haven't liked her the past few months.

We've been fighting. Sure, some of it's petty but if it's kept up for a long period of time, it could be a deal breaker in our relationship. For instance, she insists on keeping the thermostat at an ungodly high temperature. I can't stand it. I just am not nearly as happy when I'm hot and sweaty while standing still. I also feel like she always leaves every light in the house on. Can't I go outside for a 7 mile run without getting sunburned or baked by the intense rays of light? And I have no problem watering the lawn occasionally. But is it too much to ask that she take care of it once or twice a month? I just don't want every lawn looking crispy and yellow. 

But lately things have started change a bit. She still leaves the thermostat a bit high some of the days, but lately she's been keeping it somewhat cool around the house. She still leaves the lights on, but she's dimmed the lights a bit and it makes a huge difference. And even the lawn is turning green again. I am finally starting to fall back in love with her.  And now that she's treating me so well I feel motivated to do more. Maybe I'll squeeze in a few more quality runs with her and not just sneak them in while she's still asleep in the morning. Or even going on a hike or geocaching trip might be in the cards. We'll take it slow and see where things go.

How Hyden Got His Groove Back

I took three weeks off from running to rest my Achilles Tendinitis after a dumb 3 mile barefoot run came back to bite me after 2 months of running with pain and stiff ankles. So much can change in 3 weeks. I wore gloves during CrazyLegs in the end of April. Now they are considering canceling marathons this weekend due to heat.

So I decided my first run back would be with the newly formed Johnson Creek Running Club that was started up one town over. I chose 3 miles to start. The route was unfamiliar and filled with hills. I had to stop several times to stretch my calf and achilles. And sure enough, things started to loosen up. Of course it started to loosen up 2.5 miles into my 3 mile run.

I had a second run this week. Five miles. Nice and slow. I even got 2 dozen cows to chase me through my rural route. There's something I love about running past small family farms with old barns and curious cows.

I know I have some adjusting to do. The temps are rising and hopefully my mileage will be soon. The Ragnar Relay will be here before I know it. I'm hoping to get some more blog posts in, so stay tuned.

Adventures In Barefoot Running Part II

I wrote in a previous post that I went for a 3 mile run in my Vibram Five Fingers on a beach in SC. I also mentioned I had a stiff Achilles the following day. That day turned into a week, and the week turned into a couple months.

After turning up the intensity on my training, my achilles became more and more sore. While a good warm up took away most of the pain during my runs, the morning after was a-whole-nother story. After spending the day after my CrazyLegs Run in pain I reached out to a friend of mine that is a Physical Therapist.

She suggested a strict regiment of rest and ice. What!? Rest!? That's outrageous! It's a diagnosis most runners fear, taking time off. I've now gone over a week without running and I am going a bit stir crazy. Today we had a wonderful rain storm that made me want to throw on an old pair of shoes and go sloshing around in the rain.

Instead I am spending some quality time with a bag of frozen peas and a bag of frozen corn. I want rest and get over this injury but with my Ragnar Relay just a few weeks away I feel like I'm fighting the battle of rest vs. training. Hopefully any one considering a minimalist style of running will learn that taking it slow is obviously the most important thing.

My Legs Get A Little Crazy

I recently participated in the race that got me started with running a few years ago. The Crazy Legs Classic is an 8k race in Madison, WI. I love this race for so many reasons; The finish at the 50 yard line of Camp Randall, the route through my Alma Mater, the cold beer waiting for me at the finish line, and the great friends from college that always reunite to run the race.

It was a cold and rainy day. I like cooler weather but the 40 degree weather had me in gloves. My SmartWool kept me warm during and after the race too. The cool temps probably helped me finish as strong as I did but the slick roads had me a bit worried on the large downhill portions.

I worked hard at coming out slow and building my speed towards the end. The Rocky theme song blares at the same spot on the last mile every year and it always reminds me that I can dig just a bit deeper. I also found myself calling on my old Running Back skills from my football days as I look for gaps in the runners and accelerate to squeeze through a wall of 3 friends running together (avoiding hitting any of them, of course)

As you turn the corner into the stadium you can start to hear the massive amounts of people. My legs were tired but the downhill ramp and entering one of the oldest stadiums in college football gave me a surge. I knew I would set a PR but it was a matter of by how much. I hit my Garmin at 45:54 and was very excited to share it with family and friends. Setting a PR is another reason I love this race.

It's also a great measure of how my running has been going over the years. I used to train for each race about month before the event. This was my first full year of training before running the event. Let's look at my past performances:

2008 54:30
2009 53:08
2010 1:01:49
2011 52:25
2012 45:54

I was very excited to dip under the 50 minute mark let alone shave 6 plus minutes off of my Personal Record. Very excited with my performance.

The Stinky Feet Challenge

I was poking around on the Facebook page of my sponsor, Smartwool, when I saw a response to a customer asking questions about the durability of the socks. The response mentioned that Smartwool socks can be worn for consecutive days without stinking. That 5 days isn't unheard of at the corporate offices.
I thought this was hyperbole. Maybe a tongue in cheek comment about the laid back ski town culture at the corporate office. So I decided to do a test of my own. I recently got the Hiking Ultra Light Crew. They are brown so they can pass for work and play.
I started off thinking these socks stood no chance. My feet smell bad. Really bad. In college a girl told me she considered not dating me because my feet smelled so bad. My wife also mentioned it as a hurdle when we started dating. As an RA in college the residents on my floor would mention that my shoes stunk up the hallway as they walked by. As you can imagine, it was pretty embarrassing growing up with sweaty stinky feet.
So I decided to set the rules. I'd wear them all day except when I went for a run (I like my running socks and didn't want to change anything). I don't sleep in socks so they would get a breather then. I decided the impartial judge would be my neat freak wife. She was not happy with this newly appointed role but she begrudgingly accepted the position.
Day 1- She slowly approached the socks and sniffed with the socks a few inches away from her face. After smelling nothing she put the socks to her nose and ruled... "I got nothing."
Day 2- I took my socks off after 2 days of working in unventilated dress shoes. A recipe for funk. Again she slowly approaches them, moves in for a better smell... "Nothing."
Day 3- I take them off and let her know its time to smell. She fearlessly buries her nose in the socks and says "Still good."
Day 4- She gives them a smell and decides "Just barely. I can kinda tell you've worn them."
Day 5- No judge needed. I smell them and decide to they are officially dirty. I love Smartwool but it's not worth sleeping on the couch over.
We were both pretty shocked. Day 4 smelled like 20 minutes would in my old cotton socks. We decided a family member might be getting a pair in his Easter Basket this year. So being in sales I can't help but think about the benefits of Smartwool socks;
1. They're So Soft- I refuse to wear any other sock.
2. Conserve Water- Wool can help you cut your laundry load to 1/5 of what it is. If socks last 5 days who knows how long pants and shirts could go.
3. Confidence- Now you can kick your shoes off without making your date's eyes water.
4. Great Gift- You can give them to your husband or wife and enjoy their feet not smelling. Now you both get a great gift.
5. Durability- They don't wear out and a satisfaction guarantee means you'll always be happy (Unlike my dryer that went out after 2.5 years. Can you tell it's still kind of a sore spot)
I challenge you to do the Stinky Sock Challenge and see how long they last for you.

Adventures in Barefoot Running

I met up with a friend of mine from Highschool to watch our alma mater play in the playoffs. She is a runner too. She even joined my Ragnar Relay Team for the Madison to Chicago 200 mile overnight running relay. When we talked about running she asked me if I ever did any barefoot running. I quickly responded no.

As I was driving home I realized that I had quite the adventure running in my bare feet. I played Football in HS (oddly enough my least favorite part was running) and after a Friday night game I went to relax with a another teammate at a classmates house. Her older brother and his friends came over with a few cases of beer and started to party. Being the good kid that I was I declined their offers to join them.

The boys started to get louder and before I knew it, police had pulled up to the front door. I decided this would be a great time to get some wind sprints in and headed out the back door. As I ran through the dark, I quickly hopped a fence and lost my sandals in the process. There I found myself running barefoot down the residential road.

After the wind sprints I decided to stretch out my legs in the woods for what felt like forever. When I thought the coast was clear I headed back to my car. Halfway down the street I saw a car with a search light on it pull down the road I was walking on. I quickly dashed into a nearby bush for some yoga. As I did my best Crouching Praying Teenager pose, the searchlight came, but most importantly it kept going.

My racing heart eventually slowed down when the neighbor let out their dog. I was on one side of the fence as a large dog with his hot breath barked at me from the other side. After a few minutes the woman came out to scold her dog to be quiet and that no one was out there!

After the dog quieted down I decided to make my move. I positioned myself to get up and as soon as I snapped a twig, I learned the dog was silently waiting on the other side of the fence to continue his barking. I could hear the owner of the dog scolding him again when I took off from behind my bush. I finally made it back to my car and got my first experience with barefoot driving.

I did decide to try some Vibram Five Fingers after seeing a decent discount at a local running store. I took them out on a trip to Myrtle Beach this weekend and went for quick 3 mile run with my wife on the beach.

I ended up with one blister and a very tender achilles heal. Who knew that impromptu barefoot running would lead to less discomfort than running with Vibrams. I think a pair of Smartwool toes socks from my sponsor might be needed.

All Work And No Play Makes Brent A Dull Boy

Living in Wisconsin can make you a bit crazy in the winter. It is about half of the year after all. When cabin fever strikes, we find all kinds of dumb reasons to go outside. My wife even attended the Wisconsin vs. Michigan outdoor hockey game while 9 months pregnant (Wisconsin won and she gave birth 3 days later). To celebrate his birthday, every year we drive 4 hours north to a stones throw from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. But this is no ordinary Birthday party, it's an outdoors birthday party.

Every year we head out to the sledding hill, start a fire, and spend some quality time with the family. This year has been such a mild winter in Wisconsin we weren't even sure we'd have snow on the ground to sled in the first place. Luckily we got a couple inches on our way up. We hit the sledding hill and it was a brisk 14 degrees out.

My son is a daredevil at heart. He loves all things fast, high, and dangerous. He giggles with joy when the wind and snow whip against his face. We had to take turns because his desire for speed was greater than our ability to drag him up the hill.

A funny thing happens when you have an outdoor party in the middle of winter, everything freezes. I made the mistake of grabbing a carrot with my glove and biting into it. It was frozen solid from the hour it spent sitting outside in the 14 degree weather. Ice started to form on the tomatoes.

My wife's cousin even got to hang out with me. Lucky guy.

The Snowmobile Trip With No Snow

Day 1

I took a 3 day weekend to get out and enjoy some snowmobiling in Northern Wisconsin. The only problem? No snow. We've had an amazingly mild winter in Wisconsin, leaving even the most norther spots bare.

Needless to say we were pretty depressed on the 4 hour drive as we traveled further and further north with no snow in sight. We also had a sledding birthday party planned for our 2 year old son. It's pretty hard to have a sledding party with no snow.

We made it up safely and got settled in. We woke up the next morning to see 3 inches of fresh snow waiting for us. We let Nana take over diaper duty and got ready to hit the trails.

We got the snowmobiles fired up and headed out on the in-laws 120 acres to head to the country trails. We zigged and zagged and pulled a few U-turns. We were completely lost. There are a few old logging roads and it can get confusing on which one leads to the trails. After an hour of getting lost we decided we were late for breakfast and finally had to give up.

Day 2

After consulting her Dad, my wife found the right path (a down tree was throwing her off). It was nice to get out onto the trails and open up the throttle a bit.

My wife wisely marked where we turn of the trial with some ribbon so we knew we wouldn't get lost on the way back.

While she tied the ribbon I decided to get a pic of my little buddy hanging out on my sleeve. After a great breakfast at our favorite diner we headed back.

I snapped a couple more pictures as my wife untied the ribbon we used to mark the trail. I never imagined, growing up in the city, that I would be having so much fun in 10 degree weather. I am really starting to love these trips we take. I even put my iPod on to listen to some music while I'm riding.

We made it back safe and sound. We had Nana get our son dressed and he road around the front yard with us on the snow mobile. My wife even hooked up his sled to the back of the snowmobile and took him for a couple cautious laps around the house. He was in heaven and so were we.

Northwoods Trail Race

I recently got the pleasure of participating in a 4 mile trail race in the Woods of Northern Wisconsin. I brought my phone with so I could snap some pictures to remember the event. The starting line was a drive way on a 120 acre farm in Pembine, WI. The runners took their position and the race finally begun.
I had a great start and before I knew it there was only one runner in front of me once the race got under way.

We got a hearty cheer of Moos from the spectators looking on.

As we ran along the fence line, the sprawling farm grabbed our attention as we ran through the snow covered course.

We made it past the fence line and found our way onto the old logging roads that made up most of the course.
The winding roads made for a gorgeous winter scene out of a movie. One other runner and I continued to swap the lead. As he took back the lead I looked behind me and could not see another runner in sight.
The road gave way to an old narrow path and we struggled to keep our footing in the sometimes rough terrain. Luckily I had my Yak Tracks on, without them I never would have kept up with my agile competitor.We both got a bit lost but stuck together and back tracked until we found the path again for our out and back course. As we headed down the stretch we got a standing ovation from our fans. They cheered on loudly as we gave them quite an entertaining finish.

As we neared the finish line, I realized that my competitor's endurance and speed was out of my league. I ran a good race and finished strong. I was happy with my 2nd place finish. (I did have a 1st place finish in my age group)

I moved indoors and warmed up after a great race. Here's my race recap:

What it lacked in Water Stops, a Timing System, First Aid, and Trail Markers, it made up for in Uncrowded Courses, a Unique Spectator Experience, Low Registration Fees and Ability to Win Your Age Group. I must say the complimentary Hot Chocolate was some of the best SWAG I have ever gotten at a race.

My First Sub Zero Degree Run

After being sick off an on for a month, I am finally feeling healthy and hitting the road again.

Tonight I ventured out for my first subzero run. The bank sign on my drive home read -3 degrees. I've run in the cold and snow before but never this bitterly cold. Part of me was really excited to try out my Smartwool samples that were sent to me as part of the Smartwool Ambassador program. I was pretty much covered from head to toe in Smartwool like a kid playing with his new toys the day after Christmas. I set out for the run and it was awesome.

It was so quiet out. Since this was the first sub zero temps of the year, everyone was staying in (except yours truly). The only noise I could hear was my shoes crunching over the snow covered road. I don't know about you but my entire body gets the shivers when I hear the sound of snow crunching. I am typing this as fast as possible because just thinking about it is making me shiver. It's like nails on a chalk board to me.

I finally decided to put in my headphones to drowned out the crunching snow sound. I try to maneuver them and they won't bend. The rubber had tightened up and they were as stiff as can be in the freezing temperatures. I finally shove them in and get moving. As I work my way down the road I can start to feel ice forming on my eyelashes. Between my hat and my face mask, my eyes are the only thing exposed to the elements. I decided to leave the ice crystals so that I can see what it looks like when I get back.

The most impressive thing during my run is that I don't fall once. Training for a marathon this past year was disastrous when it came to catching my foot on uneven sidewalks, or wooden planks sticking up on pedestrian bridges, or slipping on the wet wood at railroad crossings. The snow and ice were not issues. Believe it or not I had to stop and strip off a layer because I was getting too hot at one point.

Toward the end of my run I can feel my self finishing a bit stronger in anticipation of looking in the mirror at the ice crystals that have formed on my face. When I got inside I looked like I had just climbed a mountain. It made the run that much more rewarding.