Run for Home

I started running in high school. I decided to join the track team on a whim, and it was the best snap decision I ever made. I didn't like running prior, but I wanted to try something new. My specialty were sprints and hurdles, but we all had to practice by doing long runs. I was never fast. In fact, I was usually breathless at the back of the pack. That wasn't the point. It was about continual self improvement. 

Track is that weird amalgam of both team and individual sports. I competed against others, but I was also competing against myself. 

Fast forward 20+ years...I still run. In fact, one of my goals for 2014 is to run a 5k every month from March-November. One of the biggest challenges for me though, is the fact that we live on the arctic tundra and it's hard to run outside. I'm terrified of falling on ice. Several years ago I did on my way into work, winding up with bruised legs and five stitches in my lip. However, I shouldn't be so wimpy....there are lots of things you can do to make an outdoor, cold weather run more tolerable.

1. Layers. You don't want to bundled up so you look like Nanuk of the North, but you want to be warm. You don't want cotton next to your skin, because it stays wet. So, if you're sweating while running, you want wicking material to keep you dry. 

2. Hat and gloves. You lose most of your body heat from your head & hands, so it's good sense to keep them covered.

3. Sturdy shoes. You don't want a lot of mesh on your sneaks when you run in winter. Some of my running friends wear trail shoes. Others put ice spikes over their shoes for extra grip.

4. Mouth cover. When you're running in cold weather, it helps prevent sucking in cold air & causing breathing issues.

5. Good socks. Wool is better than cotton. 

With events like a polar vortex, it sends me to the treadmill, and gradually move outdoors.

Running is a community, just like it was running track in high school. Wherever you go, whoever you meet, if they are runners, you're part of their group. There's a book & Facebook group called Mother Runners. It's a great source of support and encouragement. Runners also band together in the wake of tragedy. Earlier this week, a fellow mother runner was killed by a drunk driver during a training run for the Boston Marathon. Meg Menzies was a wife, mom, Sunday School teacher, runner and it seems like a great person. The running community came together world wide yesterday with Miles for Meg. It was a simple premise-run, post on the Facebook group your miles. Tens of thousands posted, including my time and 1.5 miles on the treadmill. People as far away as Australia and Siberia ran and posted. Most of us never met Meg, but she's a fellow mother runner and part of our family. May her husband and kids be supported by the community. If any good can come out of this tragedy, it is don't ever drink 

& drive. Ever. Never ever. Call a cab, get a sober ride, whatever. Don't get behind the wheel and drive. It's not worth it. I love to run, but I don't want to have to log miles in memory of someone else due to a drunk driver again.