My Strange Addiction

How do I stay warm out there you ask? And more compellingly, why would I do such a thing?

Because even at below zero temps, dressed up like a stay-puf marshmallow, I crave the fresh air, the ever changing sky, the pumping of blood through my veins to start my day.  I admit, however, it's a strange addiction.

When it is below about -20, staying warm requires two layers of fleece leggings, a polypropylene base layer and two thick fleece jackets over that for my top, a fleece ear band and a face mask to heat up the air going into my lungs.  Surprisingly, I don't need any special foot gear, as my feet always stay warm when I'm running, even at -40!  Eyelashes can be an issue, as they tend to frost up and require periodic thawing between warm fingertips taken out of my thick mittens for just a few seconds.  When it is colder than -30, I know that I need another layer of leggings, and cinch a face mask up a little tighter so that only my eyes are showing.  Then I turn on my headlamp, call the dog, and slip my phone into my mitten to stay warm, as not even a pocket will keep it warm enough to prevent the battery from freezing.  Turn on a podcast or call my mom or a friend, and away I go!  My time.  Time for my busy brain to be still while my body is moving.  Time for that simplicity and peace that I crave, that repetitive motion that allows me to be in an almost meditative state. All day long I am with bubbly energetic kindergarteners, and indoors most of the time.  I need my quiet outdoor hour of solitude, no matter how cold. Actually, the colder the quieter.  Those crystalline still mornings are some of the most beautiful.  The quiet is indescribable.

But today?  Today the temp read ABOVE zero as I got dressed for my run!  12 degrees above, to be exact. Today I donned only ONE pair of fleece leggings and ONE fleece jacket over my base layer, and no face mask!  And the best part?  No headlamp.  The sun is coming back, and my days of running in the dark are over until next September!  The exhilaration of watching the sunrise change a bit everyday is real.  First just a slight glow in the east.  Then a week or so later the sky is orange, fading to navy blue.  Then after a bit the alpenglow appears on the snowy mountains, offering a gorgeous pink backdrop to my run.  Once in a great while I get to see the northern lights streak the western sky while it's still dark, and then the sun rises on my run and I get to see that, too!  Those gorgeous mornings I get a 2 for 1 deal!  And to think, I could have slept right through that amazing spectacle! I must admit, a part of me is almost sad when the midnight sun is here and I don't get the sunrises anymore during my run.  By the time I make it out the door at 6am in the summer, the sunrise is long gone and the light is almost mid-day bright.

I have spent time in the tropics, running on beaches when it gets light every day at 5:30 and dark every day at 5:30.  The warmth and beauty are amazing, but the cotidian climate bores me. I wouldn't trade it for my ever changing world up here in the North. The exhilaration of never knowing what wonders await gets me up and out of bed even on the coldest mornings.