Saturday morning and the temperatures were nosediving, 25 when I checked and not forecasted to get any warmer.  I bundled myself up and decided to go somewhere different for a change of pace and set off to the rec way for some off the road running.  I gave myself a leisurely 1/2 mile warm-up walk with some vestiges of snow cruching underneath my shoes.  I was cold, my fingers especially were feeling it as I set off running.  I was surprised by how many people were out and about in the cold, but I guess when you grow up here you have to get used to it or else stay inside for a good portion of the year.  There were a bunch of dog walkers as usual and a few parents out with their kids for a hike, happy to trade smiles as I ran by.  When I hit halfway down the trail or so I started to come across other runners, mostly going in the opposite direction  and giving a nod and a wave.  I was feeling good by this time and unzipped the vents on the sides of my jacket and a little further down off came my hat.  It was encouraging to know that on my coldest run to date I was dressed more than appropriately and could handle a little bit colder even.  I reached the end of the brown trail, the furthest I had run on this trail all summer, touched the gate and turned around to head back.  Not long after a girl came up running from behind me and scared the crap out of me, so oblivious was I in my own little soundtracked running world.  After that I couldn’t quite get my bliss back I kept feeling like someone else was going to come up behind me which was a somewhat uneasy feeling to run with.  By the time I hit the 3 mile mark my legs were getting a little tired but I pushed it out to the 4 mile mark and felt good for having done so.  I think in the future I might run from the opposite end to start with because there was a slight gradual incline the whole way back that I really would have preferred on the way out rather than when my legs were getting tired on the return trip.  MLK day is tomorrow and so I have the day off from work and will be happy to get another daylight run in.  I might try to head to the Skunk Cabbage route for the first time tomorrow since I’ll have the time.  Temps are going to be about the same as yesterday, but as long as it’s light out I really don’t mind the cold so much.  I was happy to notice this past week that the days are getting a little longer again, when 5 rolls around it’s not pitch black outside yet.   After the run I got in my weight and core routine and then passed out for most of the day with a killer migraine.  Today I took as a rest day, might get some yoga in later but right now the boys are watching the Packers/Giants game and I don’t think they’d take kindly to me commandeering the TV for that reason.