Running home from work

Starting to gather my stuff around 4.30 pm. Its dark outside, but not completely. The snow lightens up, and even deep in the wood it is bright enough to run.

Almost half an hour later I have prepared everything. Heating up the sportsdrink to avoid chewing ice halfway home. Energi-gel, not because I am running very long, but because I need everything I can think of to keep my energy. Salsa is gooooood, but it will only take me so far..

5 pm and I am off. Calling home to anounce that I will be a bit late. No surprises this time, running a known way home. Actually the shortest one, I think, that is possible from Kista to Hägersten. A little more than 17 km, 1 hour 30 min.

Temperature around -5 C at the start, dropping towards -10 C towards the end. Fairly ok, but when I stopped for two minutes to take a call, the cold air is there directly. Have to run a bit faster to get warm and realize that I probably need to buy a wool sweater as well, not only long underwear pants of wool.

Its different to run on snow and ice. My icebugs (running shoes with short spikes) works wonderfully, but when there is pure ice its a bit slippery anyway.
And the snow.. Works good, but on the places where the snow is a bit soft, its almost like running in sand.
Its difficult to cover all skin, and my nose starts to get really cold. I try to cover it the best I can, with the know effect that the scarf get wet from my breath and then freeze to ice. Nice!

The run felt good, everything was working and my knees didnt hurt so much today. I actually start to believe that I might survive the cold here. For a while.. :-)