Comparison

What a difference one year makes.

The two years in Alaska, Matt and I ran the New Year's Eve run at 11:30pm. The first year it was -50F, and the following it was -22F. This year, it was 45F for us. A difference of nearly 100 degrees from the first year.

And a photo illustrating the differences :


Differences in outfits :
Dec 31, 2009 : On top - Tights top, fleece, three other shirts and a reflective outer top.
On bottom - Three pairs of tights,a pair of pants, and one of snowpants.
Accessories - Hat, face mask, scarf, two pairs of thick wool socks, and my double
layer -40F gloves.
Time to get dressed : 22 minutes.

Dec 31, 2010 : On top - Sleeveless shirt, and reflective outer top.
On bottom - Thin tights and shorts.
Accessories - Thin socks, headband to keep hair out of eyes, and thin gloves.
Time to get dressed : 4 minutes.

Difference in pace and distance :

Dec 31, 2009 : 5K in 27:10. Matt and I won the male and female divisions. It took the first two miles to get warmed enough to reassure myself that I wouldn't freeze to death. Running on super-cold feet is like running on two stumps. They were so cold, that I didn't believe they were part of my body, but an addition to my shoes. Each year, a different Alaska Native couple marries right at midnight on the Chena River Bridge. They throw off parkas, hats, and shawls for five minutes. Say their vows, and rush off to their reception where all the guests are waiting. That's love right there.

Dec 31, 2010 : 16 miles in 2:25.00. It wasn't sunny, but it felt great to get out and go long again. I never would have dreamed of running these kind of long runs in Alaska. I loathe treadmills and as much as I would like to do it, any running over an hour or two requires a fresh outfit and a cup of tea halfway in between. The only way to keep feet warm was to overheat my core. So I'd sweat on top, but have toasty feet. After awhile, the sweat turned to frost between my layers and nothing could undo a sweaty outfit, suddenly turned stiff in the cold. Now I can go long whenever I want...in basically just one layer. No more frozen toes and fingers.

Life here seems so easy.