I looked out the window with trepidation.
The sun was shining. Tree branches were still. Both signs, it was a perfect day for a winter run.
Just off his bike, my rosy-cheeked colleague Jeff Stokoe, came through the doors.
Is it cold? I asked.
Now Jeff as you may know is a sometimes runner turned Crossfit geek but he still knows my true meaning when I ask 鈥� should I run outside?
Runners embrace the winter season differently than most people.
Some of us run in -25 C or colder with the windchill because 鈥� yes we are that dedicated. Others like my friend Amanda Skinner will run outside AND run laps at the Collicutt Centre.
You might have seen her recently. A few days last week, she ran 84 laps. Talk about dedication. 84-freaking-laps. Are you impressed yet?
Anyway I digress 鈥�.
Often I walk around the newsroom mumbling to myself and checking the weather app on my iPhone. It鈥檚 a daily debate. My other non-running colleagues are useless. (I mean that in the nicest way.) My caring coworkers are worried that my lungs will freeze or I will get frostbite.
Jeff not so much. He rides his bike every day to work so he鈥檚 the perfect barometer. On Tuesday, I had packed my track running gear so I could zip over to the Penhold arena for some laps (not 84).
But after chatting with Jeff, I threw caution to the wind to run my favourite 5-km loop around the Bower neighbourhood.
So out I ventured out into the dark, cold winter night.
I bid my colleagues adieu as I wasn鈥檛 sure if I would ever be coming back. My winter shoes and my balaclava were at my house. I鈥檓 one of those runners who has to run straight after work or I won鈥檛 run at all.
Fortunately I always have a few bandanas in my car and office so my face was somewhat covered for my run.
I was more worried about slipping on the ice and twisting an ankle as my road Altras did not offer much grip.
I didn鈥檛 have to worry as there was at least a foot of snow on all the sidewalks and even more on the trails. Bloody hell, I cursed. When was the last time the sidewalks were cleared in Bower?
Why haven鈥檛 I bought a treadmill yet?
Cursing aside, I shifted my mindset and embraced the snow. Hey. I thought. This is a great strength workout.
Eight kilometres later, I had scaled a few snowbanks and successfully navigated slippery sidewalks.
Run completed.
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