Winter running woes

I've always had a love-hate relationship with running during winter. Some days, there will be runs on fresh coats of snow, no wind, and if you're lucky, the sun is out. It's one of those pretty runs. Other days, there will be runs that also have a fresh coat of snow, snow that your shoes get constantly stuck in, along with wind in the face, and no sun. Last winter, I did a lot of running at night and dreaded it. This year, I've tried to mentally prepare myself for the crappiest of runs every time I head out the door. I know it's going to be cold, probably windy, and depressing (at first). With that mind set, it's a lot easier to run in the winter (so far). So when things that usually bother me aren't so much, it only makes sense for other challenges to arise, like today.

I headed out for a seven mile run that would start at my old apartment and take me out to my soon to be new place of residence, a blue carriage house in Akron's Highland Square. I would stop there and check on things and then head back to my old apartment, running a slightly different route back. Despite lots of wind on the way back, it went by fast and was an energizing run. When I was done, I went to the mailbox. My right thumb was cold and was struggling to turn the key to open the box. I started to freak, just a little, thinking I had frostbite. Eventually the key turned but when I got up to gather the mail, the mailbox key and my apartment key fell off one of the packages, disappearing into the snow. I searched for about five minutes until it got dark and more panic set in. I then felt the urgency to get somewhere warm. The only thing I could think of was running some 600 meters back down the hill to CVS. Luckily, I had my phone on me. Before the run I had thought it was a good idea to take it with me...

I dialed nearby friends to try and "rescue" me but what we really ended up doing was figuring out the number to my apartment complex. I would have to cave in and get charged a fee to open my door. Unfortunately that meant I had to go back outside and run or walk up that darn hill, with wet clothes and lips that now had a purple hue. With the "this is going to suck" attitude, I braved the cold once more and then remembered that I could stay warm (and wait the twenty minutes for maintenance) in the laundry room. The run/walk back wasn't so bad and three dryers were running, keeping the room extra toasty. Maintenance finally arrived and I also realized I had the original key at the apartment, so I was not charged a fee. Now an hour or so after my hour or so run, I was home. Still cold, shivering, and a little shaken. A hot shower and soup never felt so good.