Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Prepare for my winter time blues rant!


I think I have said it before but I will say it again. I hate winter. I hate dark. I was not made for Ohio, but this is where I am destined to live for at least the next 30 years or so.

Last week was such a tease! Salty, E , JP and I went for our lunchtime run in shorts and tanks in the 65 degree weather only to be stopped and interviewed by a news crew.

"So what do you think about this weather?" We gave some answer about it being great and like being able to get out and run with friends.

Camera pans up and down to show our legs.

"What would you say to people who can't believe the weather?" I smile and say, "You never know what happens in Cleveland" to which the camera man adds or in New Orleans...poor lil Bucs the night before!

Fast forward one week. Salty emailed Monday about running outside and I said I would go Tuesday as I has already ran Monday. Tuesday came and it was friggin nasty out. I had slept in as I just felt off Monday night as I was soooo cold for some reason and it made my body just ache! Thankfully I awoke feeling just fine after my long night of sleep and set out to brave some snowy roads during rush hour which meant one long annoying drive. Blah! Seriously folks, you live in NE OH and should be used to it by now! An hour and 15 minutes later I arrive 15 minutes late to work.

Salty emails to confirm our run and I am never the type that likes to back out on something I have committed to, so I go ahead with the plan thinking it is rather icky out. I tell my boss I am out to run and he says I am crazy that it is nasty out there today. "Yeah, I am tough, I can handle it," I think to myself.

I walk outside and the winds are just roaring off the lake. I look at my Blackberry. Maybe she'll cancel. The snow and wind just seems to keep circling where the snow that is coming down with a vengeance keeps pelting me from every angle. No message to cancel ever came.

I hit the door of my gym to go change. Aghh, that is nice! Am I really about to go back out there to run? Nutz, but let's get to it. Now changed, I run down the street to meet Salty. The wind was fierce so we headed down to the Flats. For the most part, it was not too bad. Yet, there were mutliple sections where the snow felt like it was just ferociously trying to eat my eyeballs and I could barely keep them open as they watered in pain. Several times I felt like I could barely see and my makeup ran into my eyes and burned some more. Why the heck did I leave my yellow sunglasses in the car? Idiot! I whimpered along whining about my eyes as Salty seemed so tough as though nothing could slow her down.

Thankfully Salty and I could both see the guy who didn't see us until the last minute when he locked his brakes up as he slid through the stop sign. We weren't about to chance he might actually stop at the stop sign (like he is supposed to), let alone look for pedestrians. Waht sort of nut is out running around on a day like that anyways??

Our legs were all covered up, our noses were red, our hair and clothes were covered with snow, our makeup was running....thank goodness there were no cameras today!!! Was that not a hawt picture for the news?? What a difference a week makes and what a tease! :-(

Finally we made it back and I heard from 3 other folks at the gym that it was just crazy to go outside to run that day. Yeah I am just a bad arse and can handle it....I won't tell them how I really felt! Yet, another good war story for the telling and thanks to Salty for getting my woosie butt out there! Still, I hate you winter!

My drive home took forever too thanks to more snoey roads and stupid drivers. Finally at one point I hit the right lane as was able to pass about 10 cars at once. Hello, slow people, USE THE RIGHT LANE!!!!

7 comments:

The Salty One said...

Haha! That was certainly one for the grandkid stories! But I had fun even if it was miserable in spots. And I certainly wouldn't have been out there without you! So, thank YOU for getting me out there :)

And just think, the rest of the winter should be cake after that. If only...

Brian said...

Lets see. Cameraman can interview regular business people in suits or, 3 hotties in shorts. Hmmm. I wonder why he chose you all.

E-Speed said...

sorry to hear your downtown running weather is so miserable this week!

Brett S. said...

You are bad ass. Heck you should have gone for a bike ride while you were at it. You do have screws in your tires for this weather right?

See you out on the trails.

Mnowac said...

Hoollllyy moley! You are hard core! I can't imagine running outside that day, let alone near the lake! That so nice you have people to run with on lunch though, I am jealous. I am trying to get something started, but we don't have a gym or showers or anything like that so everyone is afraid of being sweaty. Hello, that's what baby butt wipes are for! Get in the bathroom stall and take a hooker bath!

Dana said...

You are definitely one tough cookie. Glad to see you or Salty didn't get hit!

B Bop said...

Indeed, it was NASTY on Tuesday. I often seek out nasty weather to run in, if nothing else but for the sense of adventure....but Tuesday found me on the treadmill ((shame)).

Kudos to you for braving the storm!!