Wicked Wind

Time of departure: 9:00am At Diner: 11:15am
Temperature: 8F
Wind Chill: -12F
Water temp: 33F
Route: Down lakefront to 5.5 mile marker near North Ave. Back up to the Diner. I figure the minimum distance we covered would have 8.5 or 9 miles.
Running buddy: Matt and Eric

Environmental commentary: It was sunny. It was cold. Matt's tears from the cold wind froze to his eyelashes. Men we saw with mustaches had snot icicles. And I used to want to live in Antarctica....whY? But it really wasn't so bad for most of the run. Inside the protection of my clothing, it was nice and toasty. But that was only until we got down to our turn around point, then there was no hiding from the piercing wind. I had to stop and take out my gortex hood because the wind was blowing up under my hat and right through my brain. We still had 2+ miles to go, and the wind was hammering. I think we ran those last miles the fastest because we just wanted to be out of the wind!

We did stop and watch the sea gulls, mallard ducks, geese, and canada geese all hanging out together in a water retention pond. There was one mallard that was having a grand old time giving himself a bath, as if he didn't notice how COLD it was. But most of the geese had their beaks tucked into their back feathers. What struck me was that I'd never seen all four of these species shoulder to shoulder like they had been. Had they laid aside past conflicts to bear the winter together? :) That's a nice thought.

We saw a drinking fountain, donated by the Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA), that had a large pool of thick ice around it. There was a pile of salt in the basin. Matt and Eric were particularly interested in this. Had the pipes exploded? Was the salt to prevent the pipes from breaking? Would this work?

Also, we stopped to check out a wrecked car that had been left in a parking lot, perhaps that was near Belmont or Wellington. We tried to figure what had happened in the accident, but it was so bent and smushed in so many directions and in so many places we really couldn't figure it out. It makes one think twice though about getting into a car.

Clothing: shoes, socks, spandex shorts, army pants, wicker, t-shirt, vest, gortex, gator hat, gloves, mittens....and even pulled out the gortex hood. It was wicked windy and cold down by North Ave.
How did I feel? Good. Cold cheekbones. Then near the turn around point...Cold head. I felt kind of nauseous for much of the rest of the day though, until I ate again. Was that from the cold? From sitting in my cold sweat at the Diner? Running in this kind of cold seems to be doubly hard on the body.

People spotted from the hill: I don't recall. It was windy there too. No one was playing soccer, that's for sure. But, we met the friendly man with walking sticks! This was the highlight of the first half of our run. We also met his wife and dog. So fun! I love the sense of building community on the path. Just like I love the sense of community at the pool where I swim.
Other runners: I counted about 30. But after awhile I lost track. It was windy. And we were talking.
Bike commuters: No commuters. 2 recreational riders, I think.
Lake Shore Drive: Didn't notice.
Dog Beach: A few
Destination: Chicago Diner. I had the Green "eggs" (scrambled tofu) and Ham. It was delicious.

What do I like about running? It's a challenge. And food tastes good afterwards.