Freezing My Butt Off

After almost a month of rest to rehab my knee, I finally started running again. Which was perfect timing, because that's when winter decided to show up in NYC.

I have been known to run in a jacket during the summer, so I am not exactly made for cold weather running. Even so, I felt committed. When a teammate and I decided to meet up for a run, I did my best to bundle up and get going.

We had a fun run chatting and I totally forgot about the cold. The park was peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. I ran home full of endorphins having had a great time outside.

Peeling off my clothes before the hot shower, I could tell I must have been colder than I registered. Despite the temps being in the 20s, my skin had turned an angry red color. I got into the shower shivering and turned the heat all the way up.

Bad move.

As the water started to steam, I still couldn't quite feel my skin. Having had frostbite before, I recognized this similar sensation. I could feel the water pressure, but not the temperature. I jumped out of the shower and ran to the mirror.

Sure enough, a raised red welt surrounded the back of my legs.

If you've never personally suffered from frostbite, then there are two things you should know:

1. never get it, it hurts! and
2. it acts a lot like a burn

So, as I stood there in the mirror, I couldn't tell if I had frozen my butt during the run, or burned it in the shower after. Maybe I did both?

Luckily- whatever I did, it was mild, because my skin returned to its normal self the next day.

That being said, I have not gone running since. A new snow storm rolled in, and I prefer to keep my butt thawed.