Shamrock FREEZE

(disclaimer-- this whole post is a lot of complaining, and it's my blog so I can complain all I want)

I don't believe the old wives tale that if you are in the cold then you'll get sick. Sure it will 'weaken' your immune system, but it won't introduce new viruses and bacteria to your system-- just make your system less able to fight them off.

The Shamrock Shuffle. Oh my gosh. I knew the weather was going to be bad. I learned earlier in the week that the forecast called for snow. I have developed a passionate dislike for the white poison that falls from the sky and lingers for weeks. All the way through Saturday night-- even into Sunday morning if we're being honest--I wrestled with the desire to NOT run it. Had I not payed the $40 registration fee, heaven knows I would have enthusiastically run on the treadmill instead.

When I woke up early Sunday morning, I was expecting to see the stuff, but I wasn't expecting to see a solid inch already accumulated in addition to it falling relentlessly. I checked the event website, praying that it would be cancelled or rescheduled. All it said was that according to the "Event Alert System" it was at the "Yellow Level" meaning "Less than ideal running condition." NO KIDDING. Mortified. I still didn't want to run. I didn't want to hoof downtown on the el, I didn't want to wade through masses of people to get to gear check, I didn't want to stand around waiting for the start horn, I didn't want to RUN -- all because of the snow that was approaching 2 inches deep and forming giant slushy puddles everywhere. I didn't want to. At all.

Then something close to miraculous happened. I had a positive attitude. I had run in colder weather. It was about 30 degrees-- which a couple months ago would have been incredibly exciting. Once I started running, I would get warm. I had worked hard to find someone to work for me that day, and it'd be a waste if I played hookie from the race. I would probably regret it if I didn't run, and I'd paid the registration fee. Honestly, the latter is the clincher-- I hate wasting money.

What to wear? I bundled: many (5) layers of 'technical' tees (long and short sleeved) and a lightweight windbreaker/running coat. I decided to wear my Team in Training hat (to block snow flakes from my eyes) with an ear warmer headband over it. I wore running tights with soccer warm up pants over those. I later realized how idiotic I was in choosing normal socks and knit gloves. Normal socks do jack for keeping your feet either dry or warm. I don't know what socks I should have worn, but my little cotton things were the root of my despair. Also, knit gloves get wet and hold onto moisture. By the time I boarded the el, they were wet and they never dried.

After I brainwashed myself to think 'it's not THAT cold...' I set out. It was between 7:30 and 8:00am on a Sunday-- most people not awake yet... most people returning home from the night before. Point being-- sidewalks not shoveled. As I walked to the el my feet started to get wet. I embraced my new found positivity, realized they were going to get wet sooner or later, and kept saying 'it's a beautiful day for a race.'

This mindset lasted until I got off the El downtown. I feel like it is always much colder downtown than where I live. This could be because downtown is right at the lake front, while I'm a good mile and a half inland. Either way-- it was colder, the wind was blowing harder, and the snow was deeper. I was cold and cranky.

So I tromped the 0.2 miles from the el to the race, basically just following people. That's the beauty of a bigger event-- if you don't know where to go, just follow the masses of people. My attitude had gone polarly opposite of the positivity I briefly encountered. 'This sucks. This is not fun. This is miserable.' Once I found it I had to swim through said masses to get to Gear Check to get rid of the bag full of warm clothes I'd brought for afterward. As I made my way to the start corral I heard an announcement "Five minutes until start corrals A, B, and C are closed." This was my fourth year of participating in this race, and the race honors your loyalty by giving you a closer start each year you do it. So, I'd gotten into corral A. I wanted to get up there because I hate waiting for ten+ minutes after the start just to get to the starting line. So I hustled, and fell. Stupid ice! Fell right on my backside. I was so cranky. SO CRANKY. The snow had turned to sleet/snow/rain and with the endless wind was attacking everyone sideways. My feet were NUMB by this point. I stood in my corral trying to shake life back into them and trying to convince myself to not get back on the El right then.

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER we started. I don't understand why we had to wait fifteen minutes after the corrals closed. Honestly, cruel and unusual. I couldn't feel my feet. At all. I thought I was running on stumps. Apparently race-loyal AND super fast people are in Start Corral A as I was being passed on both sides. Humbling. I had given up on this race on Saturday night... I knew I wasn't in as good of shape as last year, I knew the weather was going to be awful... I knew I wasn't going to be pleased with my time.. So I don't want to say I didn't try hard, but ... I didn't try hard. My attitude was by far my greatest weakness. I couldn't get over the fact that this was happening. Two years ago I got sunburnt at this race. Last year I wore shorts. Now there was SNOW and ice and GIANT puddles. Ridiculous. At one point I felt something tootsie-roll esque in my shoe and I thought "what in the world could have worked it's way in there?!" Then I realized it was my pinkie toe. By mile 3 I started to regain sensation in my feet, which was quite relieving as I was getting concerned about them and their ability to withstand frostbite. I did warm up at this time, too and even sweated a little.

I brought true meaning to the Shamrock Shuffle as that is the perfect verb to describe my method of completing the race. Upsetting, really. After I finished I didn't bother changing my clothes (both because there was no place to do so and I didn't have dry shoes so it just seemed pointless). I just got my stuff and booked it back to the El. The quicker I could get in a hot shower the better.

All in all it was perhaps the most miserable race I've run-- even more so than the half marathon in Indy. I was hoping the whole time I'd feel good about it AFTERWARD, and half of my motivation in going was that I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. But I don't feel good about it. It was terrible. I'll admit that a significant amount of the awful-ness came from my attitude-- but it is a character flaw.. I hate snow. If there is anything I hate more than snow, it is snow in late March after several days of 60 degree weather. So it's not a bad race to run-- the three years before have been fantastic. But the weather really put a damper-- a real freezer-- on this one.

And regarding the old wives tale: I usually don't believe it, but I am sick now and I can't hep but blame the weather of my Sunday morning activity.