It's that time of year when running is getting pretty difficult around here. Today we had beautiful clear sunny skies so i decided to run this afternoon instead of tomorrow when there is a chance of clouds. Problem is, my thermometer showed 10°F and the local weather center said it was 6°F, before taking into account the wind.
For the most part, these temperatures aren't that big of a deal, i just dig out the heavy long underwear (instead of the silk weight), add a singlet underneath the two shirts i normally wear, and wear a neck gaiter to cover the neck, chin, and nose when i need it, on top of the normal two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks, and two coats. Generally, that's just right as i head out the door and i end up unzipping the outer jacket later on as i start to work up a sweat. And i keep my face from freezing in the wind by putting a layer of olive oil on my cheeks and nose where they will always be exposed. With all this, a sunny day, even when near 0°F, can be a nice run.
The problem, though, is my feet. For example, with the wind, the weather center said today's wind chill was about -15°F, and while the rest of me was warm (sweating by the time i got home), my toes were getting pretty cold. In fact, on days like today, i seldom run more than 3 miles simply because my toes are too cold. I haven't figured out how to beat that yet. I could wear plastic bags inside my shoes, but i'm afraid that will be much too hot after just 15 minutes, or so, since the bags won't breath. My shoes won't allow a third pair of socks, so i'm stumped.
Oh well, if i can i'll hold on for 2-3 more weeks before shifting to my exercise bike inside the house.
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This is how Macrina Wiederkehr chose to end her book Behold Your Life:
At the end of each day, why not glance back over your day to see whether you've been a good companion to the moments that have passed. What was the first thing you saw when you stepped out your door this morning? Do you remember? Does anything stand out as special from this day? What colors did you see? Were there any conflicts? If so, how did you handle them? What stories unfolded as you moved through the day? What did you have for lunch? Did you taste it? With whom did you eat lunch? Did the conversation enrich you? Name one piece of the conversation that you remember. What happened that gave you a sense of happiness today? What do you recall of beauty? ...
And finally, what did you touch today? Name one thing you remember touching. They way we pick things up, the way we touch and hold things in our hands, says much about our ability or inability to live in the preset. ...
Yes, life is a whole string of nows knit together with friendship and songs, heartaches and tears, fears and courage, passion and compassion, depression and elation, patience and impatience, and more. ... So don't miss life. Take up your life and walk, whether it's happy or sad, angry or disappointing, ecstatic, hopeful, heart wrenching or tender. You name it! Just don't miss it. IT is your gift to unwrap as you move through the hours. It is God offering hospitality to you as you move into tomorrow.
How many people, i wonder, really understand that life is a gift. Really. Truly. A gift. Doesn't matter from where or from who or from what, so don't get hung up on the religion side of it; just realize that your life is a one of a kind gift, given only to you. We spend our entire lives unwrapping it and all but a minuscule few never get the job done before running out of time. Before that time, the lucky one's make great progress in their unwrapping; the unlucky one's barely get one layer unwrapped.
I think that if we were truly honest about it, as we peel off a new piece of wrapping every day, every hour, every minute, every now, we would gasp at the beauty of what is unfolding before our eyes. I mean, awareness and just the fact of being alive is an amazing thing! Have a shit job so can't see that? That's focusing on the ego, not the gift. Refocus. Have an incurable disease so can't see that? That's focusing on the body, not the gift. Refocus. Too poor to get an education so have to work at minimum wage jobs? That's focusing on the outer circumstances, not the gift. Refocus on the Gift.
The gift is Life. Consciousness. Awareness. Spend as much of your time unwrapping this precious gift as you can so that you can get clearer and clearer glimpses of the beauty hidden within.
As Rumi says,
I have lived on the lip
of insanity, wanting to know reasons,
knocking on a door. It opens.
I've been knocking from the inside!
2 comments:
I was just reading this post from Danny Dreyer - http://chirunning.com/blogs/danny/ - about this subject. Sounds like another endorsement for Duct Tape. It would be interesting to see if it helps.
Living in the marine air of the Pacific Northwest makes me an unlikely candidate for cold feet while running. But on the rare occasions that the temp drops below 20, you will probably find me in my basement getting reacquainted with my rower.
David
David,
Thanks for the link. I should love this idea because i am one of those who believes that duct tape can fix anything, and frequently try. But, i don't know if i want to put duct tape on my running shoes....
Maybe if i had an old pair laying around that i could throw out at the end of the winter, but what would they look like if i taped a good pair and then took the tape off and continued to use them in the spring?
Thinking aloud here... maybe put packing tape on the shoe first and then the duct tape over that? The packing take wouldn't leave a residue on the shoe when i took it off? Hmmmm..... i think i might try that tomorrow and see. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again.
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