Hoth Wampa

Remember the Hoth Wampa creature from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back?  It would've enjoyed the weather for today's run: -1 degree air temp, -20 windchill, roads covered in packed snow...  Luckily I didn't encounter the Wampa!

Actually I didn't feel very cold - it helped that the sun was out, which caused the temp to rise all the way to +5 degrees by the end of my run.  I dressed quite appropriately: screw shoes, wool running socks, heavyweight tights, long-sleeve fleece, wind jacket, thick gloves, ear warmer around my neck, ear warmer around my ears, hat, sunglasses, and most importantly a fleece scarf around my face.  That scarf really saved my nose and lips when running into the wind, but it's tough to suck air through the fabric!  Whenever the wind was at my back I pulled the scarf down.  By the way, screw shoes are a dream on hard-packed snow!  I had very little trouble getting traction.

None of my usual co-workers dared to brave the elements with me and preferred instead to remain at Echo Base.  That's OK - the Force was with me and I had a great run, somehow managing a 8:20 pace under the weight of all that gear! 

Running under similar conditions, newmanmlb was inspired to create a cool t-shirt motto for runners - I wish I could've worn one today while running past all the startled shoppers as they scurried to and from their fat SUVs.