Week 3: Braving the cold for 3.5 miles

I'm not used to this fall running business. Having trained for my marathon over a summer, my running gear consists of tank tops and running shorts.  So when I woke up on Sunday morning for our group run and realized it was 34 degrees outside, I wanted nothing more than to curl up under some warm blankets and go back to bed.

If only cancer would just go hide on cold days!

Thankfully, I have some yoga pants -- what mom doesn't? -- and crossed my fingers that I'd be comfortable wearing my Nike Women's Marathon hooded sweatshirt.  I found my fingerless gloves with the mitten flaps, and my earmuffs.  If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I need my ears covered on a cold run!  But honestly, I didn't really know what I needed layer-wise for running in the cold, so I just hoped that going outside in something that wasn't quite warm enough for just walking might do it.

Liliana, on the other hand, was good to go.  Thanks to her growth slowing down, she still fits in most of her gear from last year.  She got to stay in her footie pajamas, and we threw on her Columbia fleece bunting and a fleece hat.  I grabbed a blanket for good measure.  I'm not sure she was capable of feeling how cold it was outside!

The other moms were surprised that Liliana didn't fall asleep with how cozy she looked.  She spent some time glazed over, and given that she'd started the day at 5 AM, it wouldn't have been that surprising, but I know my girl all too well.  Two minutes later she was asking for a snack!

The run was tough for me this week, both because of the cold and because we're still running in the cemetery.  It's not a terrible place to run, and it made sense this week because our coach was recovering from a marathon and couldn't run with us, but the loops just get to me.  We had to do three loops this week, and by the third I just wanted to be done.  I think we'll be going out into the neighborhood next weekend; I'm definitely looking forward to a change!

And as for my layers, most of them ended up coming off.  By mid-way through, I was running in short sleeves!  I was a little shocked that I found that comfortable, but the sweatshirt was way too warm.  Of course, once I stopped, the chill quickly returned, and lingered with me for several hours.

This week my mom is in my thoughts more than anything.  Tomorrow (Wednesday), she has her mastectomy, the first step in her journey to be cancer-free.  I'm really wishing I could be there with her, but I can't, so I'll run instead.  Liliana and I will be out in pink tomorrow to honor her.