Two weeks ago I made an unplanned trip to the frozen tundra of Northern Minnesota to celebrate my Grandpa George's life and legacy and to grieve his passing from this earth. I grew up in the Midwest and should be used to the extreme cold and piles and piles of snow and ice. However these five years in the Pacific Northwest have turned me into a certifiable wimp. BRRR!!!!
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| I ran once in Great Falls, Montana, where I stopped to pick up my big brother Shane. |
I'm training for a June 1st marathon and am back on a pretty intense training schedule. The week I was in Minnesota called for three three-mile runs, three six-mile runs (one at pace), and a thirteen miler. My focus for the trip was to spend time with my family and help out my Grandma. I had no idea if I would end up logging any miles at all, but I wanted to be equipped if the opportunity came up.
I ended up running every other day while I was traveling. I ditched all the three milers and grabbed the longer distances since I was bundled up and making the effort. The weather was consistently cold but HOW cold varied considerably from day to day. The warmest temperature I ran in was 20 degrees F. The coldest was zero degrees F plus windchill, and that just happened to be the day I ran thirteen miles. The water in my water bottles actually froze solid on that run which made getting a drink rather difficult.
