Day 48 of Happiness: Frozen Motivation

{ok, so maybe my this is an exaggeration of my running route...}

 
So, today I took a nice lunchtime run.  That, in and of itself, is a spot of happiness - when I'm done.  Before the run it's a spot of unhappiness.  Well, maybe that's too strong.  It's more like a spot of do-I-have-to-go-running-today?  I constantly look at the clock and then my Weather Channel desktop theremometer keeping my fingers crossed that it goes above 32 degrees.  Shivering when it doesn't.  It's painful, I must admit.  I am a hot weather person - I do not fear running on 100 degree days.  I do fear running in the cold.  It's miserable.  But, after I get my booty in gear, change my clothes in the locker room bathroom stall, head out, and complete the run...I feel so much happier.  However, every once in a while I reminded that there are particular benefits to running in the freezing cold (ok, I know I don't live in AK or anything - I'm just a cold weather wimp).  Today I was reminded.

REASONS TO RUN IN THE COLD

1. You burn more calories.
   
2. Your legs go numb so you can't feel how tired they are.
3. There are waaaay less tourists blocking the sidewalk.
4. The cold air wakes you up rather than puts you to sleep.
5. People think you're a serious tough-girl runner.

Today, number 5 was in abundance.  As I was running by the parking meter money collector man, he yelled "Keep it up, you look great!" in a non-creepy way.  Totally made me go faster (until, 5 ft later when I hit the street light and had to stop to cross the street).  Then, I blew passed two guys running in Marines t-shirts.  Maybe they weren't Marines, but they had the hairstyle, so I'm thinking they were.  Yes, I feel super tough when I pass military men running.  I try not to think about how they were probably running 20 miles and I was doing a short 3 mile lunch-time run....  And, last but not least, as I was trying to combat my last hill before the leveling off of the home stretch, a group of White House guards were changing shifts (or something - now after reading the news maybe they were searching for more naked runners) and they yelled encouragement my way (also in a non-creepy manner).  I didn't know they were even aloud to do that.  Come to think of it, I did have my ipod on, maybe they were yelling AT me (this sometimes happens when I'm running around the White House area and they have heighten security and I am so "into" my run I don't notice and try to run through blocked off areas)...but they didn't chase me down, so maybe not.

Anyway, I felt super motivated my entire run.  Good good stuff.