3.6 miles
trestle turn-around
0 / feels like -16
100% snow-covered
Last year I decided that my limit for cold was a feels like temp of -20. Since it was only -16, I went out for a run by the gorge. It was cold, but not too cold. It felt good to be outside, breathing in fresh air, moving in sunlight, being beside frozen water and snow-covered trees.
10 Things I Noticed
- checked out the river at the trestle: all frozen, white and gray, solid, stiff
- the steady crunch crunch crunch of my yaktrax on the cold powder
- solid chunks of ice littering the path, not boulders, but big enough to hurt my foot or twist my ankle if I ran into or over them
- a skein of geese! first I heard their honks, then I stopped to watch them fly across the sky
- the roar of a plane
- the shadow of a big bird
- one other runner, one or two walkers, no dogs, no fat tires, no roller skiers
- two walkers below me, walking through the tunnel of trees
- a snow blower up above, near longfellow grill
- the path was slick and slippery with stripes of ice glowing in the sun
layers
2 pairs of black running tights; 2 pairs of socks –1 gray, 1 white; a green long-sleeved shirt; a pink jacket with hood; a running belt for holding my phone; a gray Hot Dash 10 mile 2017 jacket; a gray buff; a black fleece-lined cap; sunglasses; black gloves; reddish pinkish fleece-lined mittens
Enough layers. The mittens were especially warm. Did it help that I had warmed up on the bike in the basement before heading out for my run? Probably. Neither my fingers or toes were too cold. Hooray?
feels like
It felt cold, but not cold enough to give me a brain freeze. I wore a buff over my mouth to warm my breath. My snot froze a little but not too much. After I took my sunglasses off, because they had fogged up, my eyelashes acquired a few bits of ice. The tops of my thighs felt cold and tingly by the end. No itchy legs or feet that felt like blocks of concrete. Dripping with sweat by the end. My braid, which had wicked all the sweat, froze again into a hard, twisted mass–or mess?
It feels like winter is here for good. Maybe the snow on the trail, too?
Listened to a playlist with only one headphone in, so I could hear the crunching snow and the gorge too. Did I hear any other birds beside the geese? I can’t remember.
I’m very glad I made it outside. I love these winter runs!
ongoing projects, dec 2022
Thought it might be interesting and helpful (for present and future Sara) to make a list of what I’m working on right now:
- Reading through my entries from 2022 and adding to summaries of my runs, ideas and quotes, and a huge list of things I noticed. Right now I’m halfway through April.
- Thinking about, reading up on color, especially orange. Trying to write a colorblind plate about orange, particularly how shifty and unreliable it is, and my obsession with seeing/not seeing orange buoys at open swim. Checked out Maggie Nelson’s Bluets for inspiration on how to write about color.
- Planning my winter writing/creative process class for The Loft. Right now, I’m gathering poems and essays and thinking about my weekly lectures. As part of this, I’m reading/listening to Adam Gopnik’s Winter: 5 Windows on the Season.