Froze my %*@$ off!

Today I had a 75 minute run on the schedule. Last night we got a nice winter storm which left several layers of snow on the ground for this run. Normally I love running in the snow. I find it refreshing and energizing to be the only fool out there getting the work done. But today was definitely not refreshing. The first 37-1/2 minutes were with the wind to my back, which didn't seem too bad. When I turned around, though, the wind was mighty strong in my face and COLD! I was wearing tights that have extra protection in the knees and thighs to keep the wind and cold out but nothing was working. My legs felt stiff from the cold. The wind was gusting so much that on my return trip I could not see my initial foot tracks. Even worse, this run was a heart rate run and some times I had to virtually walk to keep my heart rate down. That definitely didn't help to keep warm. As soon as I got home I jumped in the shower and had a cup of hot chocolate. I didn't get warm again until I took a nap late in the afternoon. I'm very thankful that my next run this week is a scheduled treadmill run.