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Progymnasmata

The Pleasing Insanity of Routine

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by
The Comedian
, 02-01-2010 at 04:24 PM (1660 Views)
Yesterday the air temperature was -15f (-26c). It was the kind of cold that numbs your fingers on contact. It hurts to breathe.

But it was a running day: 4 miles round trip (6.4km). Two down and two back. I equipped myself:

Legs
insulated long underwear -->wind pants

Torso
insulated shirt --> tee shirt --> sweatshirt-->windbreaker

Face & Hands
Wool hat
ski gloves

I told my wife and kids that I'd be back in half an hour. . . . .and out the door I went.

Within seconds, my exposed face (nose and cheeks) tightened, and then settled on a warm, but numb feeling.

My legs moved quickly. I could feel the joy of pace and movement through the cold. My whole body turned into a machine following obediently to a rut of memory and practice.

There were no clouds in the sky. The sun shone brightly on the thick layer snow all around me. I thought "powdered diamonds. . . . powdered diamonds everywhere."

It didn't take long for my brow to begin to sweat. A bead rolled down my forehead, settled in my eyelashes, and froze solid, which forced my eye to shut.

"This is crazy" I said to myself.

True, that. But there is a pleasing insanity to routine. While I may seem bound to the caged pattern of this running habit, in other ways the routine frees me to break the greater patterns of self-doubt and a slavish devotion to comfort.

Nevertheless, I was very glad to return to the warmth of hearth and home.

Updated 02-01-2010 at 04:28 PM by The Comedian

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Comments

  1. Gilliatt Gurgle's Avatar
    Hello fello runner and kindred spirit. I too enjoy the "routine", but even more so when you add the layer of climatic adversity to it. There is something insane about the added enthuisam of running or hiking in adverse conditions. Of course we do not see too many -15 deg days down here, but you will likely find me out on the trail in +15 to 20 or in a steady rain or at night during a full moon.

    Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
    Gilliatt
  2. JuniperWoolf's Avatar
    Haha, I run in the winter too except I have a big problem with the ice. I have a huge black bruise on my knee right now because of my "routine." It's funny to watch people run in the winter, because they literally can not look cool (well, except for literally but you know what I mean).
  3. Buh4Bee's Avatar
    You're crazy, but I can heartily relate to this routine.
    Exercise for me is my walking meditation a way to clarify myself, as it seems to be to you as well. I like to indulge in the majestic beauty of the wilderness.

    I don't run, but I walk my dog at night. I usually try to ignore the thermometer and just put on the ski pants. I've been out in temperatures close to aforementioned. The dog is a freak about getting out no matter what temperature. He goes on nose neuron, so he has no awareness of the cold.
  4. OrphanPip's Avatar
    Bah, you Americans need to learn to handle cold weather. It was -30 C here on Friday and I went out in jeans, t-shirt, and a windbreaker.

    I kind of love that feeling of numbness that comes over your face when it's really cold outside, and then that stinging pain that inevitably follows when you come back into the heat. Reminds me of my childhood.

    The part of this that really terrifies me is the idea of exercise, horrible...
  5. skib's Avatar
    ditto what jersea said- you're crazy! There is a point at which exercise can wait. But you toughed it out. Good for you!
  6. qimissung's Avatar
    You are insane. I am not at all ashamed of my slavish devotion to comfort.

    Having said that I can walk when it's cold. I don't think I could live that far north however. I live in texas now, but the farthest north I've lived is northern Oklahoma, which has snow and ice now (in Texas it never snows; a little ice occasionally, never snow), and I really, really miss snow. I think about getting to watch it fall all the time.

    Haven't any of yu guys ever read "To Light a Fire" by Jack London? You are playing with fire to risk you're lives in below freezing weather (I keed, I keed!) !
  7. JuniperWoolf's Avatar
    Haha, on January 27th 2004 my town reached -53 degrees celsius (that's -63.4 fahrenheit to you Americans). Not many people have the opportunity to experiencie that kind of cold.
    Updated 02-03-2010 at 04:54 PM by JuniperWoolf
  8. applepie's Avatar
    I'm shivering just thinking about it :lol: Good for you on sticking out that routine. I'm more or less grounded in doors during the winter right now. It isn't too safe for me to be out doing much of anything. Long story, but I do think I'm a bit jealous ;) Not quite though of that cold, :cold:
  9. Virgil's Avatar
    You ran in that cold? You are nuts. I'm not sure if it's healthy to do that.
  10. 1n50mn14's Avatar
    Madness!!! How are you not lying frozen on the ground somewhere, a Comedian Popsicle?
  11. The Comedian's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by BeccaT
    Madness!!! How are you not lying frozen on the ground somewhere, a Comedian Popsicle?
    So I may have romanticized the experience a tad bit here, astute BeccaT -- I sure as hell felt like a Comedian Popsicle when I was done! :-)