Something about building character or having *the* experience turn into *experience* or digging deep or suffering or applying a little pain or stressing the system in an antifragile sort of way. Maybe all of the above.

Pouring rain, about 37 degrees at the office. Shorts in my running kit. Iffy conditions. Iffy. Not “full conditions” in the Ben Nevis sense,  but close enough for Portland. A few degrees colder near Council Crest and maybe I’d have seen some snow or freezing rain. It was touching 33/34 degrees up top.

So glad I wore a beanie under my brimmed hat to cover my ears… and I could have used warmer (+ waterproof) gloves. Making a fist and squeezing all the water out of the gloves does the trick and forces some blood back into my hands. I had trouble buttoning my shirt when I got back the office. Kind of numb all over.

The ghost whisperer shell mostly kept the heat in, but I was so soaked from the inside and outside on the way back.  I dreaded stopping at any crosswalks back through PSU – need to keep generating heat.  But I had the Marquam Trail all to myself, I saw not a soul.

I was a little tweaked when I got back to the office and put all the clothes I had including a buff as hat plus hoody; I drank mug after mug of Green Chai to try to warm up standing at my desk.

Good stuff today. Getting after it:
http://www.strava.com/activities/226248312

And my VO2 Max spiked to 66 – which is approaching mutant zone. Huzzah.

Also changed up my runmix to include such chart topping hits as:

• Word Up, (Cameo) listened to that one twice
• Bring tha Noize – Public Enemy + Anthrax
• Let’s Go Crazy (Prince & the Revolution) “…so when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills, you know the one, Dr. Everything’ll Be Alright…”
• Blue Monday (New Order)
• Push It (Static X)
• My Shit’s Fucked up (Warren Zevon) *2nd only to Lawyers, Guns and Money

You know… just the hits 🙂