I had hopes of finishing under 45 minutes, but the cold was really pretty hard to deal with for the first third+ of the race. The wind was in our face on the way out, making breathing and staying warm difficult. A little before the turn-around, my hands warmed up, but I struggled with drafts going under my jacket and fleece. I'm going to have to reconsider my cold weather gear. I warmed up considerably on the way back to the point that I removed my mittens, folded up my hat, and unzipped my jacket and fleece a bit.

While the cold sucked, the thing that was the worst for me were my unwilling legs. They just didn't want to warm up and perform. They felt like the gel in one of those thick gel bike saddles - squishy and useless. I simply couldn't will them to go any faster. After about the first mile and a half, I only passed one person who stopped to walk before the final hill right before the finish. So I resigned myself to just plodding along. There was no question that I was going to make it. It was more a matter of just keeping going.

Best part of the whole race, though, was running that far on completely clear roads. There wasn't a bit of snow or slush to deal with. That was fantastic.

Use some different gear to keep my core warmer.
Not try to race in below zero temps.

Get inside. Gather my things and then go to the Scandia Bakery for some post-race treats.


The cold. Plain and simple.


I'd like to try this race at its full length some time assuming the weather is decent. I was initially disappointed when they shortened the race, but I'm sure they made the right decision. I'll register again some time and it'll be great.