Now that Indian summer is well and truly over and the frigid season has begun here in Chicago, many recreational runners wonder what to do with themselves. There are very few races scheduled in this area between Thanksgiving and, say, March, when— with any luck— the onslaught of ice and snow starts to abate a bit. Of course there ARE some races, such as the December “Rudolph Ramble” 5k I naively registered for a few years ago.
Things looked promising at the starting line, where hundreds of freezing but festive runners were lined up, many entering into the spirit of the season by wearing antlers, bells, and poinsettia-red noses. Once the race began, though, it all turned into The Nightmare Before Christmas. Picture a herd of bundled reindeer clumsily flinging their bodies toward some elusive end goal, their hooves sliding like hockey pucks over the thick layers of ice on the lakefront path. It was not pretty. To make matters worse, humanity did not rise to the occasion, as one would have hoped would happen in a situation like this.
Being a cautious runner on the ice myself, I slowed slightly, only to be upbraided by fellow “ramblers” around me.
Watch where you’re going!
growled one jolly elf, while another cursed me under her breath and a third attempted to butt me with his plush antlers. Naturally I didn’t alter my pace, instead yelling,
Happy holidays!
and jogging along at a safe speed to the finish line.
Lessons learned that day were: 1. Don’t race during the winter in Chicago if you don’t want to run on ice, 2. Someone wearing red and dressed as Santa Claus or one of his minions is not necessarily all that merry, and 3. Maybe we could all benefit from a break from training every now and then to keep things in perspective. Anyone for yoga?
Jeanine Casler lives, runs, and writes in Evanston, Illinois.
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