Winter Running and Holiday Races

According to the calendar winter hasn't started and won't for a few days. I think people all over the country who are dealing with "winter" storms would disagree with the calendar. I know one thing, it is cold even in California. As a matter of fact, I know two things, I don't like running in the cold either. For most of my life I have said that I would rather run when it is cold than when it is hot, "because you can always put on more clothes but there are only so many that you can take off". It seems the older I get the less I feel that way now. I would rather run when it's hot and if it is too hot then just don't run. The reality is that for the most part it is never too cold to run because you really can dress for the conditions. So like everyone else I come to that decision point where I have to decide whether or not I want to run or whether I want to blame the weather for not running and then regret it later. As a matter of fact, as I sit here writing this I'm working on talking myself into running this morning.

California Ice

In spite of the weather and fighting a cold myself I have still managed to run a couple of races that were fundraisers for good causes. The first was the Jingle Bell Run in Merced and the second was the Spirit of Giving in Modesto. I actually went to the Merced race not knowing if I was actually going to run because I had a cold. Since it was not in my chest I knew I would be ok to run if I felt like it and fortunately the race had a noon start time. When I arrived I was given race bib #1 and I found out that it was the 1st running of the race, finally I didn't feel to bad so I decided to run. Even though it was cold, cloudy and somewhat windy it was a nice event and I would certainly consider going back again next year.

MERCED JINGLE BELL RUN

The irony in the pictures of the start and finish is how blue and clear the sky looks. By the time the race started the clouds had rolled back in and it was cold.

COLD!!!

MODESTO SPIRIT OF GIVING 5k

The Modesto race was even colder than the Merced race but I suppose cold races are to be expected in December even in "Sunny California". I enjoyed both races and they both supported good causes at a special time of year.