Friendly Path of Walking Sticks

Time of departure: 7:00 am Return: 8:35 am
Sunrise: 7:10 am. It's still dark when I wake up, but bright when I leave the house.
Temperature: 15°F
Wind Chill: 4°F (yikes!)
Route: The usual. On the lakefront path.
Running buddy: Matt

Sky cover/ environmental observations: Today is very sunny and very blue with just a few clouds in the sky. There is still some snow on the ground, but you can see the tops of the blades of grass peaking at you. There were big ice cubes in the lake (which made me really happy and reminded me of icy water kayaking). The lake was blue and talkative today while breaking some waves on the shore. The pine tree pile is still smelling yum. Most significant observation: When the wind would blow, it would hurt in the bones of my face, even with the gator pulled up.

Lake Shore Drive: Mildly distasteful in scent and taste and noise, but not overwhelming.

Clothing: I walked the dogs in my usual windbreaker pre-run, and felt the wind a bit more than I prefer. I opted to wear my dad's Frank Shorter Gortex jacket, a significantly warmer option. A good choice. I would have probably even been comfortable in a long-sleeve t-shirt as well. But the clothing was: shoes, socks, army pants, wicker, t-shirt, gortex, gator, gloves, hat. All stayed on all the time. Note: Matt wears the same thing, and not very much, I think, all the time up to like, what, 40°F, and then he wears shorts? He's hardcore like that. But even he admitted it was cold today.
How did I feel? From the hips down I felt good. But my abs, of all things, were the problem area today. I think they are super sore and trigger point ridden from west african dancing Tuesday night. It felt like my rectus abdominis was stuck to my obliques, and the pulling from the running seemed to activate the trigger points.

People spotted from the hill: Nope!
Other runners: Yes. There were quite a few runners. Walkers too. I want to attribute it to the sunniness of today. It really was a beautiful morning. One interesting piece was the contagious friendliness that existed on the path today. A few people said "hello" and "good morning" to us, and then we started being friendly to other people too! There were two or three people who were walking with walking sticks, a good idea since there is still some ice on the path. A few running buddies. A few people running with dogs. A few solo runners, some with fancy gear, some old sweatpants. Someone "of an older generation" was doing push-ups on against a park bench. It makes me happy to see people outside being active.
Bike commuters: Yes! By no means was there a constant flow of bike traffic, but there were quite a few out! They appeared well-equipped and bundled for the weather, hardcore veterans, they knew what to wear. My hat's off to them.
Dog Beach: Too chilly to go look. Presumably, some of the dogs we saw took a romp on the beach.

What do I like about running? Running is an aperture through which you can see the world and experience your body.

It seems that the cold temperature is not enough to keep people indoors. A sunny day will draw people out despite the cold, or perhaps in spite of the cold. It seems to encourage some extra friendliness as well. We'll have to watch for that. I do remember when we were running in the rain the few people we would encounter were friendly. (Friendly: a smile and a nod, or "good morning," or even a "hello" or "mornin'" with no smile, or even eye contact with a recognition of another's humanity). What is the bond between people when everyone realizes there is a degree of absurdity to their willing participation in a given situation. Mutual validation of a absurd experience? Today was different than that though, I think, this was more honest friendliness for the sake of friendliness because the sun is shining. Today was smiles and nods and "good mornin's."

I also find it interesting that I hear a lot of people complaining about the cold. Not while running, obviously, but in the rest of my life. And I have to say that I really don't feel the same thing, and I'm always suprised that they're complaining. Of course, I recognize it's cold, but it doesn't feel cooooooold. Certainly nothing to complain about, just something to observe. I think that running in the cold has helped me acclimate so it is never much of a shock. I'm looking forward to seeing how I will feel on those days when you walk out and your eyelashes and snot freeze immediately. I wonder if you acclimate to that? I suppose there will come a time when it really isn't safe to run. But wait! There are people who run marathons on the south pole, so... Matt, there is no wussing here. :) Besides, with this whole global warming thing going on, we may not get anymore of those super cold snot-freezing days.