6.22 miles in 1:13:12 @ 11:46 pace and 148/163 bpm for 904 calories

Maybe it was the constant Facebook updates from my sister Debbie about running in the bitter cold up in Minneapolis.  Maybe it was that I wanted to see how warm my cold-weather running gear could keep me.  Or maybe it was just the urge I had to get out and run.  But on Tuesday morning I ran a little over 6 miles in about 27-degree weather.  It was cold but I warmed up and actually felt fine after about 15 minutes.  Because of all the ice on the sidewalks, I ran the majority of the run on the grass, which definitely slowed me down.  But I really didn’t care about maintaining my pace—I was much more worried about slipping and so I deliberately took it easy.

I wrote that I felt fine for most of the run, which is not entirely true. There was one part of me, which will remain nameless, that actually got cold enough to cause me a bit of pain during the run and substantial pain as I thawed out.  Why didn’t anyone tell me about this common male running problem before I tried my first below-freezing run?  Luckily I recovered 100% and I’ll be adding an extra strategic layer of clothing the next time I run in the cold.