Thursday, January 15, 2009

Whoa and Races

I woke up this morning to a temperature of -10.

As, like here is zero *holds hand level with face* and here we are, ten degrees below that *holds hand around waist.*

The wind chill is -30.

We live in an old apartment building (old ones which are pretty much all there is here in E-town) and we have radiator heat, which usually doubles as our own pesonal sauna.

But not this morning.

The depth of the cold is permeating the windows and walls.

I am sitting here in wrapped in a fleece blanket and contemplating what sort of sweet, sweet love I will have to talk to my car to get her to start this morning.

And for as bitter it is outside, I always get this really weird morbid curiosity/pleasure when we set these cold record lows.

I mean, maybe people in North Dakota or you Canadian folk have seen worse, but a temp of -10 is like, really cool to me.

Makes me feel like I am in the scene from Day After Tomorrow, where they are sitting in the freezing library in New York.

On a completely seperate note, I started planning the race season last night. I have to be honest, I have no real goal for this season. I really just want to have fun, stay pretty local (I have to be all fiscally-responsible like, what with this wedding and all) and use races as ways to meet up and see people. I don't want to have to committ to too many things that are really big because I know I just won't really have time or funds.

Right now I am signed up for Steelhead 70.3, and I am eyeing the Pleasent Praire Olympic distance in August and maybe Danskin in WI for a little speed racing. I have three 1/2 marathons in March, April and May. A friend, Mark, mentioned TriShark in Illinois, but the dates might not work (but checking it out).

What are you all doing? Anything in the Indiana/Michigan/Illinois/Wisconsin area? Triathlon or running?

14 comments:

JT said...

Aahh, I don't miss my days living in the north :-)

Some time, I would love to plan a race up in Wisconsin, maybe my family could come watch.

Danielle in Iowa in Ireland said...

If the rumors regarding treadmills on research vessels is true, then I might try and do the Madison Half in May... You should return to where the fun began ;ast June!

(and it is -20 here/-40 wc so I feel your pain and I was actually pretty glad to take the bus which is always toasty warm instead of drive)

Amy said...

that makes our 6C (40 something C) seem toasty! I used to live just outside of TO and there were times when I would plug my car in. In Thunder Bay they have plug the cars in from November through March. Up there you get days where there is no red in the thermometer and it's like -40C WITHOUT wind chill. We've got our first race in a month. A half marathon in town. We might go to Calgary for a road trip with some club peeps but that's as exotic as we'll get this year.

Amy said...

PS The exotic Calgary comment was totally sarcastic

PPS I had a brain fart and forgot about our jaunt to California to loose our marathon virginity. That's a touch more exotic and exciting than Calgary.

Go Mom Go said...

Lets see...
I am looking at the new half marathon/marathon in April in Champaign, IL.

I will do the Indy Half the first wknd in May, there is the Geist Half 2 weeks later, in the Indy area as well that I will do.

After that little sprints here around Indy and then I am looking at doing the Muncie Endurathon in July. It is a half Iron distance.

I don't know what else...maybe you can get me excited about something up there...

anji said...

I just wrote something about the cold last night!

www.danglingconversation.com

I wrote it at 3 am this morning, when the cold was at its lowest... brrrrr.... and it's supposed to get colder tomorrow! WTF!

Spie said...

Meg,

Looks like we will be at some of the same races.. (No, I haven't signed up for the half yet, but I plan to.) With the Danskin, it looks like there might be some women's only sprint competition as Trek has started their own series as well and it scheduled to be in WI in July as well.. Some more choices for you.

Joe said...

i saw a great note on the runner thing at the bottom of a news channel today -- "all of wisconsin to stay below 0 today." so awesome.

Kolla said...

Come down to Florida for some WARM racing - I'm doing an OL one in Miami on March 15th :)

Hope it warms up for you, until then stay near that fleece blanket and drink lots of hot something, with a little somezing somezing in it!

Anonymous said...

i know this tight race in nashville. i think its a half and full marathon. im considering doing it. thats if i can see my penis by then. see latley this guts been getting in the way. i think u happen to live with a man who feels my pain?

prin said...

Yeah, here it's -10F and -17F with the wind right now. I gotta say though, you guys really need to get the metric system. Somehow, -10F doesn't seem nearly as cold as -23C. And the low tonight of -29C seems way colder than -20F.

Come on. You know you want to. :D

Yey for goals! I hope you kick ass. :)

Unknown said...

you still up for the muddy buddy? I would love to have you out there. Isn't in August? Are you going to bike with me at the Apple Cider Century in the fall. My girlfriend might not be able to make it.

I'm doing some 5k's in the spring.
June-Subaru Women's Triathlon
and maybe my first Oly

Unknown said...

You haven't written about BL and Bob had his outburst and I so thought you would have written about it by now. I would love your take on the second episode.

RunBubbaRun said...

You know Ultra are pretty cheap as well :).

I'm doing Racine half IM. cheaper than steelhead. Maybe "bangs" lake oly in Waconda. Close as well.

yeah, that lake effect breeze can make it a little cold out there.