Winter heat

Last weekend I ran a 5K for charity. I love to run. I run a lot, but aren't very good. I did finish 5 minutes faster than I did last year, though.

Anyway, it was a beautiful course, out in the country, past waterways, near to a greenhouse, gentle hills. There were loads of people.

But it was COLD. It began to snow after we started off. Of course, when you run, if you're dressed properly and the wind isn't hard against you, you don't feel the cold. In fact, you perspire.

By the end of the race I was pretty wet, but toasty warm. I wandered around picking up my swag (a mug in this case). I ate some snacks, drank some hot chocolate... then I began looking for my family.

I'd seen them a block before the finish line, so I walked back. Nope. Nobody there.

So I came back down the hill, where the world and his wife were milling about. Didn't find them.

I stood up high, next to the stage, close to the DJ, and scanned the crowd carefully and slowly. Still didn't see them!

Stupidly, we hadn't set a meeting spot. And they had my big down coat, which I soon was going to need.

Suddenly my running warmth left me, and I began to get very, very cold. I thought about asking the DJ to call my relatives, but I couldn't think of what to say... (Could the family of Seven Okelli please pick her up near the stage? She's shivering and looking scared. If you're interested in adopting, she's looking for a warm home...)

Then I panicked and started running. I had to get warm fast. I ran through the crowd, left and right, front to — almost to the back, and there I found them. They were goofing around, talking to people. Six was the only one who caught my desperation. She shoved my coat at me.

"Please, I'm freezing," I said, "where is the car? I can't remember."

They all started walking, it seemed like slow motion to me, so I ran ahead, I ran back. I needed to keep moving, and running gave me heat.

Finally we reached the car, but my sister didn't have her keys. I started swearing, I couldn't help it. The cold was beginning to hurt. My brother-in-law had run into a friend, it turned out, and he was chatting away. He assumed my sister could let me in.

Then, finally, my body heat came back. The down coat did its job and heated up nicely. I apologized to everyone for being such a baby.

Once we got home, I peeled off the wet clothes, stepped into a nice hot shower, and then we went to eat some burgers.

God, I felt great!

<Newer | Archive | Older>