I really need to pay more attention to the weather forecasts prior to any days that I run. I turned on the TV and saw the temperature. I knew it would be a cold one out there with potential for a wicked wind chill, so I dressed for this morning’s run accordingly. I wore two pairs of pants, a long sleeve base layer with a t-shirt on top, and the jacket that I got at the Resolution Run. Added to that was my usual winter gear and I was good to go. As I drove in though, I wasn’t prepared at all for the blowing snow. I was actually running late because I spent way to much time at home looking for my Garmin, which I didn’t end up finding in the end. I got to the DVP/404 and was in shock. The roads were covered in a thin layer of snow, except for the parts where cars passed. On those parts the asphalt was visible, but seemed to be brushed with what looked like a veil of white powder dancing on the surface. I was kind of torn. I didn’t want to go at a normal speed because of the conditions, and I didn’t want to go slow or else I’d never make it to the store on time. I ended up finding some middle ground despite weird almost-whiteout conditions that allowed me to get to store a minute or two late.

When I got to store, there was someone from our group talking with the marathon group about taking a different 16K route. I think the rationale was that they didn’t want to be facing the howling winds on the way back when everyone would be sweaty and tired. That’s a fair thought. As I was overhearing the route though, in the back of my mind I thought that people might end up getting lost due to the sudden route change. Also, the marathon group was fast, and they wouldn’t be around to help us out if any of us were lost. Anyway, as the marathon group filed out, I called my group in. On the spot, I decided that we’d be better off just sticking to the route that we were going to do originally. I thought, yes, we might get strong winds on the way back but with the weather being the way it was we’d get beaned no matter what. So that was that.

At the beginning we usually have a small warm up which consists of a walk to the first light. Well, the winds were really beating on us, so I just yelled to everyone that I was starting my watch early. Everyone agreed. And off we went. The sidewalks were plowed in most places, but some parts had thick snow that was hard to trudge through. I didn’t find the first few kilometres to be so bad. Yes, it was tough, but I had been through some bad winter weather last year. I just told myself to suck it up. During that first part I was with one other person and we just laughed at how snow was sticking to all our hair, and that snot was dripping everywhere. Hey, no one said running was glamorous, right? We got to a stoplight that allowed two other people to catch up to us. In the end, we stuck together as a pod.

Between the 6 and 7 kilometres the route took us by the hospital and by an open field. I swear, at that point the winds were really starting to pick up. Usually as the morning progresses the weather lightens up a little; a little sunlight goes a long way. This time though, there was no relief at all. Just past the hospital the route turned north for a kilometre. Holy crap, during that stretch the winds absolutely ravaged us. For me, the wind pierced my two layers of pants. I thought my inner thighs would get frostbite. My cheeks were getting numb. I had to pull my jacket up past my nose just to breathe, but as a side result my dripping nose got all over the jacket. We just wanted to get to the end of the road to turn and get by the houses hoping for a little protection from the wind. We did get it eventually. The violent winds gave way to flurries. For me, I didn’t feel as cold, but the snow was making it tougher to see. The route included some tough hills to conquer. The first one came at 10-11K and wasn’t so steep but was banked and seemed to go on for a long while. That was tough. The second one was 12-13K and was steep. The snow covered roads made it tough to get any real speed up it. I was tempted to slow to a walk, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I did. Once I made it to the top I made it a point to congratulate everyone, and to acknowledge that the hill was a killer. I mean, by the time we had gotten to it we were already pretty spent from battling the winds, and the slippery roads, and the blinding snow. Still, we managed to make it up without complaining too much. My group is inspiring!

When we made it back to store, instead of stretching outside I just told my group to stretch inside. As soon as I stepped in, my first order of business was to cheer, hoot, and holler like I’d won the lottery or something. The person minding the store joined in. I just wanted to make sure that the runners realized just how amazing this all was. Sixteen kilometres in such horrible weather is just pain insane. Usually, with winter running there’s just one or two weather conditions to contend with for every run. Today though, damn thing was thrown at us, and we survived. Of course that was worth cheering, right? I swear, I’ve never had a tougher winter run thus far. We were all spent, but had enough energy to laugh at our frozen water bottles. I am so unbelievably proud of everyone. Hopefully, next week’s 16K run won’t have as adverse conditions. Even so though, we know we can tackle it head on.