It's Cold Again

Relearning the lesson of fighting against the wind

Photo by Khamkéo Vilaysing on Unsplash

The weather turned in May, and the promised warm-up arrived in Wisconsin.

❄️ Then without warning, the cold returned.

Running in the cold is fun…during the winter.

Once the cold weather running gear is put away, I’m over it and ready for warm weather running.

Grumbling while digging out a coat and hat, I headed out the door.

A cold blast hit me as I started the run.

My body tightened, rebelling against the cold.

“So over the cold,” muttering as the wind picked up, causing me to tighten up more.

The run wasn’t enjoyable. I was not present, thinking only about how cold I felt.

Half a mile into the run, I decided to stop wishing the weather was better and embrace what was.

Consciously slowing my breathing and relaxing my arms and shoulders, I allowed myself to feel the wind without my body rebelling against it.

Instead of focusing on being cold, I accepted the conditions as I do during the winter.

Almost instantly I felt the cold without feeling as if I were cold.

The next five and a half miles were pleasant.

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🌀 The weather was exactly the same, the difference was my attitude.