Today I wussed out

It was -22F at my house this morning, predicted high of -4 or so. Winds calm, so wind chill was not a factor.[Side note: are you as annoyed as I am by the weather folks reporting the wind chill factor as if it was the true air temperature?] Packed up my bag with all the gear I would need to run in subzero temps with the intention of leaving work at 5:30pm ready to hit the Lakewalk and get a 3 mile run in before my board meeting. So what happened?

Stressful day of work. It was dark. I was tired (see my day at work). It was cold (about -4 F at the time). And I would be running alone. Yup, I wimped out.

Ultimately, when it comes to running in extreme conditions I need company. Tomorrow I will have that, but today.... couldn't get motivated to be out there alone.

I have run plenty of times alone - long runs, in the winter even. But something about the combination of cold and dark did me in.

Not a great way to start my 18 week training plan for the Superior 25K.

I will add that I had played 3 hours of indoor soccer on Sunday and am still a bit sore from that (the bruising is just beginning to show). Speedwork is happening at least ;-> The muscle groups used are quite different than in running and I can feel it, even today. As the 10 week season progresses it should get better and I won't spend Monday's hobbling around work.

On the knitting front:

I am on the second sock of another pair of socks for another large-footed person. This is the week of board meetings - both lasting upwards of 3 - 4 hours. The perfect venue for getting socks knit. Cast on the leg of the sock at Saturday's meeting and made great progress there. Tonight I finished the heel flap, turned the heel, picked up stitches along the heel flap and got through most of the gusset before the meeting was over. If all goes well these will be done in plenty of time for gifting on Saturday.

The other day someone asked me how long it takes to knit a pair of socks. Right now it seems to be working out to 2 weeks. Of course, that all depends on what else I have going on. At one time I timed myself and could finish a pair of socks in 8 hours. Let's just say they were not a men's sz 12!

Have some yarn sitting out, waiting for the socks to be finished. Actually went searching through my stash for this stuff. Thinking about creating a fingering weight version of the "Hartley Hat" (named for the original design knit for a silent auction to benefit the Hartley Nature Center in Duluth). I have knit multiple versions of this hat - it is a fun and easy pattern incorporating Lavtian braids and a 10 row pattern called "Heart Crook", plus a design of my own for the area between the top decreases.

Though, I did come across a picture of a hat that I knit and donated to another silent auction (Superior Hiking Trail Association) and would love to recreate that hat also - it was hard to give away the original.

Plus, speaking of silent auctions... The Superior Hiking Trail Association's Annual Meeting is fast approaching (first weekend in May) and I usually contribute a few items to that (as well as solicit items from folks I know). Then there is the NMTC Runs and their end of series give-away. I really need to get moving on some projects!

Stay warm. Remember (for those in Minnesota): we live in a "cold weather state"; it is supposed to get cold here; temperatures below zero are normal in our latitude; people have survived in weather like this for centuries (and with fewer resources than we have).

Embrace the beauty of a sub-zero day!!!