My nipples could cut glass!

TMI...?  Sorry. 

So I ran in the Louisiana 5k and Half this weekend.  On Saturday when we woke up it was 32 degrees but it "felt like" 24 degrees...I think it warmed up to 34 by race time.  On Sunday it was 24 degrees when we woke up but "felt like" 18...I think it warmed up to 27 degrees by race time.  Why do we do this to ourselves?!?!  Oh right because we signed up months ago and this $hit is expensive!

Anyways, on Saturday we ran easy intervals and we were good.  I had on a tank, a long sleeve moisture wicking shirt, a Northface zip up, a Wearguard half zip, running gloves, a headband ear protector thingy, and a beanie.  I didn't remove ANY layers!!!  I know it was only 3.1 miles and if we'd have run more I probably would have stripped off a layer or two but that speaks VOLUMES to me.  As in...it was f**king cold! 

When we finished I was STARVING so we went eat the yummy food at the finisher festival. 

Seriously, if you ever come for the LA Marathon weekend, the finisher food is the BEST!

On Sunday, we ran a little harder...we were VERY ambitious with the intervals.  Before the start I stripped down to just a tank, a long sleeve moisture wicking shirt, a zip up running jacket, running gloves, a headband ear protector thingy, and a beanie.  It was f**king cold!  The ONLY thing I removed was the beanie.  Again that speaks volumes.  We were running pretty hard but it was so cold we didn't take any other layers off.  There was a point where it felt like I had leggings on under my running leggings because my thighs were numb.  My face hurt.  My lungs HURT.  It was like we couldn't get enough oxygen in because the air was cold and burned.  After the 7-8 mile mark we slowed down significantly because breathing while running hurt and we couldn't catch our breath.  Some people may have been fine but many of us were not. 

When we finished we were okay for about 5 minutes and then we were FREEZING.  Thank goodness we had some layers to put back on after.  I was so cold my teeth were chattering.  Even in the sun, I just couldn't get warm. 

I wasn't even hungry.  I just did 13.1 miles and didn't even feel a little grumble.  I got food, of course, and I ate as much as I could convince my stomach I needed but it wasn't much.  And the food was soooooooo delicious...but I was just too cold...argh! 

Even after taking the hottest shower I could stand, I don't think I actually felt warm until 4 or 5 that evening. 

I wasn't hungry until I got to my Dad's for the Saints game at 3:45 ish and I wasn't even that hungry...just a little peckish.  My body was MAD about the whole below freezing running thing.  I was coughing too and was worried I got myself sick.  But apparently you can "freeze " your trachea and lungs with cold air and exertion if you don't cover your face.  Symptoms are fatigue, coughing, losing your voice, and generally feeling like poo.  GREAT!  I feel better now but geesh! We don't have face cover thingys...its not usually this cold down here!

Anyways, I've done races in the cold before..slightly below freezing before but this was different and this race was way longer.  So now I can say I ran a half in below freezing temps...in LOUISIANA no less.  Would I do it again?  Probably.  But I would buy a face cover thingy. 

Go home Mother Nature...you are DRUNK!

Southern States don't really have a true winter.  I mean like it gets cool...ish but rarely do we have Hard Freeze Warnings for the Entire state...especially the SE portion of it.  I mean it happens but its not often and when it does...if there is Ice/Sleet/Snow we can't function.  And its usually once in the season for like a day or two.

Thankfully this time the rain stopped BEFORE the temps dropped too much so the Ice/Sleet/Snow was not a factor for the most part. 

But you see I had races this weekend...BECAUSE I AM CRAZY.  I had to bow out of the one Saturday *whew* but Sunday I still ran. 

Now mind you when I checked the weather forecast on Thursday it said  "Saturday 39 with a windchill of 34" and "Sunday 43 with a wind chill of 38".  Okay that is f**king cold BUT we got this...right.  I checked it Friday evening and it said "Saturday 34 with a windchill of 28" and "Sunday 39 with a wind chill of 34"... 

I woke up Saturday morning...

WTF?!?!?  Glad I'm staying home...

You might be thinking that is just a thin layer of ice over water...NOPE!  It is a frozen solid 5" puddle (shut up that is significant down here).  I stood on it.  It cracked a little but it held my weight....So yea, I had on my heater but I also had on  leggings, sweat pants, two long sleeve shirts, and a sweat shirt.  I was still f**king cold...so I basically spent my Saturday under a blanket on the couch with two dogs and two cats huddled for warmth.  I am southern...I am not made for this!

From Hyperbole and a Half (not mine)

So Sunday I get up to run 5.59 miles and see this...

Oh come on now!  F**k you Mother Nature!!!  So yea I ran in this.  The issue isn't the running.  Once you get started (and can finally feel you feet), you warm up significantly.  The issue is when you stop.  Because when you stop, you are sweaty and its still below freezing.  So yea I froze my @$$ off waiting for my friend (which wasn't long) and froze further trying to get some Jambalaya and Beer.  I went home and took the hottest shower I could stand...it took me 30 minutes to warm up in the shower.  Basically I was a human Popsicle.

Yes yes yes I know other people run in sub zero Bull$hit and run in this type of weather all the time but as I've stated before...I.am.Southern....we aren't used to this.  I can handle a cool run but freezing...f**k that...BURR!

What sucks is because we were so cold after the race, I didn't get to go to WWNOLA this year *wah*.  I really wanted to do the autograph thing with at least Stephen Amell and/or Christopher Lloyd.