Running in the cold

It's that time of year when I understand why old people go south in the winter. The older I get, the less tolerant I am of the cold. I went out running when I got home from work, trying to get out there while there was still a sliver of light outside (it was, for all intents and purposes, dark when I finally got going at 5:30 PM) and it was miserable. Not only was it dark, it was cold and windy. Cold as in slightly under 30 degrees F. That might not sound too bad, but the wind made it feel worse. I grinded out two miles, and when I say "grinded," that's what I mean. My pace was slow and plodding in the freezing dark. (I should also mention that our neighborhood has few street lights and plenty of potholes and crumbling asphalt, so it's best to run carefully in the dark). Regardless of all my griping, I have to keep plugging away at the running in the winter and not use bad weather and darkness as an excuse not to knock out at least eight to ten miles per week.