Race #13 of the Season: Chilly Cheeks Duathlon #1

While many area multisport athletes use the annual Chilly Cheeks series as a way to stay in shape and compete over the winter, we pretty much use it as an excuse to get a pair of sweet sweatpants and to eat delicious homemade banana chocolate chip bread. We don't take it too seriously ... a good thing especially this year, as any relative shape I was in after IM Boulder/Choo? Gone. 

Also a good reason to not take these races too seriously? When it's ass ridiculously cold out.


Posted on Instagram. The weather, all of the layers I was wearing, a selfie race morning.



Staying warm in the car.


Transition.

Needless to say, we switched to the (four mile) run-only option as both the run and bike courses were covered in snow and it was flirting with positive temperatures.

(Fun fact: my race number got swapped to 617. I posted a picture of my bib on Facebook, saying something along the lines of, "Fitting I'm representing the 617 today in my race because I'm pretty sure the last time I was in weather this cold was back when I was *in* college.")

(617 is the Boston area code, if this confused you.)

Given the facts that:
A.) we're out of shape; and 
B.) we'd be running in a good two to three inches of snow; and
C.) it was FUCKING COLD OUT,
we decided to not care at all about time and to just enjoy ourselves. Who cares how slow we'd be?

Turns out, pretty damn slow.

Final Stats:
Time: 54:57
11/15 overall (for the 4-mi run only)
7/9 gender
4/5 division (F 39 and under)

But, whatever, right? The more ridiculous the conditions, almost the more fun it is. 

I'm just hoping for better weather for the second and third races in the series ...