TheBanyanTree: Frozen 5K

[Margaret R. Kramer]

It was frozen.  I think the temp was –6 when the race started.  But there
wasn’t much wind and when it’s that cold, that makes such a difference in
comfort level.  Plus, I think we acclimate to the lower temps after 82 hours
below zero.  Above zero seems like a heat wave.

I wore tights, long underwear, and sweat pants on my legs.  I wore a long
sleeved T-shirt and a sweatshirt on my trunk.  They gave us a long sleeved
T-shirt that advertised the race, so I added that to my layers.  I had my
tights, a regular pair of socks, and a big, thick pair of socks on my feet.
I wore my work out shoes, because I needed the lightness and the traction
they give.  It didn’t start snowing until after the race, but I want to be
sure I didn’t slip and slide on the road.  I wore my parka-like jacket and
used the hood to cover my head and my scarf to wrap around my face.  I wore
a thin pair of gloves under Ray’s thick gloves.  I was warm.

As a walker, I started at the back of the pack.  I pretended I was on my
treadmill and quickly zoomed past several walkers and managed to pass
several more before the finish.  That felt good, because I’m a slug, and I
approach most things in a slow, methodical way.

After I got my pace and I felt confident enough to keep it there, I started
to look up and see my surroundings.  We were on Shepard Road, right along
the Mississippi River.  The river was frozen.  A train went by on the tracks
carved into the bluffs above us and I waved at engineer and he waved back.
He probably thought we were nuts.

The quarter marathoners came by me as I was approaching the hill to get to
the finish.  I clapped my big gloves and made a comment that they were not
Kenyans.  In fact, I didn’t see any Kenyans in this race.  Usually the
Kenyans win all the races.  The lead runner laughed.  He was probably glad
not to see any Kenyans either.

I was sweating.  My warm body cut through the cold air and I got my legs
churning to get up the steep hill towards the finish.  I knocked 9 minutes
off my time last year.  Although last year, I stopped and took pictures
along the route, so my time might not be that good.

I went inside the Minnesota Life building and got my goodies – a mug, some
energy bars, and a banana.  They were serving hot chili and passing out
water, too.  I walked to my car where I found a parking ticket on my
windshield.  I have no comment on that.  It’s just an example of my bad
karma right now where everything I do is tainted with something negative.  I
just have to keep fighting my way out of it.

The 5K helped give me a little seasoning to make it through the rest of the
winter.  We’re in a winter storm watch again.  We had a couple of inches of
snow last night and we’re supposed to get dumped on tomorrow.  It will be
another long, slow commute home from work.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at earthlink.net

http://www.polarispublications.com
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Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold.
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