My planned workout for today was 6 miles at 10:20. I was initially planning on  going to the gym, then heading to a friend’s for garage sale-ing.

When I got up, I realized that I did not want to run 6 miles insides, and that it really was light enough outside for a safe run sans headlamp. I checked the weather. A supposed 50 – 55 degrees over the hour of my run, plus the sun would be coming up sometime in the process. I put on my regular 35 – 65 degree weather clothing – shorts, a t-shirt (not tank top), shocks, shoes…

I was so mislead! I headed out for the same route I did last week, and about half a mile in realized my hands were cold. About a mile in, I got goose bumps on my arms and my hands were really cold. I kept trying to move them by pumping my fists and doing finger movements. When I got to the turn around point – around 3.1 miles, my hands were so cold and my arms so tight from it that when I tried to lower my arms I got numb tingly feelings from my shoulders to my fingers. It was NOT pleasant. I spent the next mile or so begging the sun to come up over the mountains.

Well, it didn’t. I decided it was the smart idea to run straight home instead of finish off the run since it didn’t look like the sun would be up over the mountains before the end of my run. There were serious thoughts of frostbite in my mind. So I ran home, a much less friendly running route. About the exact time I got to my house, the sun hit it. My hands and arms were magically warmer. So, I kept going, finishing the length of my intended run and then some. It wasn’t quite as fast as I wanted, but as least I finished it.

I will be investing in several more pairs of cheap cotton gloves.