Not too long into my run, I am frantically shedding layers and stuffing them haphazardly into my hydration pack. I am wiping sweat from my brow. I couldn’t take my clothes off fast enough. Boy I was hot.
It almost never fails. Once the temperatures drop below zero, I forget how to dress for a run. Panic sets in. All reason goes out the window. I must pull on every piece of clothing gear I own or I am going to freeze to death.
I have been running long enough to understand the winter attire basics of base layers, non-wicking clothing, temperatures etc. Sure I know my body will warm up as soon as I start to move. Three minutes into my run, I shouldn’t be thinking about cooling off in the frozen Bow River in December.
Yet here I was parked at the side of the Bow River Pathway stripping down and fumbling with my pack. Runners and cyclists pass me wearing shorts and t-shirts. With all my layers, I look like a complete moron.
You see, I hate being cold. I have this fear of losing my fingers to frostbite or something else ridiculous. I’ve been on the mountain enough times when I had underdressed and I swore I would never run unprepared again. Clearly I have brought this “must layer at all costs” attitude to the mean pathways of Calgary.
I think it just takes time to get used to running in the sub-zero months again. The temperatures have been up and down so much lately. Is it cold winter? Or is it warm winter? Pick a lane, Mother Nature. Pick a lane.
Thankfully I survived this short run. And you know what? The next day I didn’t wear three layers and I wasn’t cold. It helped that the sun was shining and the temperatures were just hovering below zero – not terribly cold. But I wasn’t terribly hot, so that’s a start, right?