Layers

I live in Colorado and I HATE winter...there I said it. I have lived in this state since 2003 and every year I dread winter. I hate being cold, hate sliding all over the place whether I am running or driving, hate shoveling the sidewalk and driveway, hate when my dogs get "stuck" outside and I have to run out in my bare feet to rescue them, and I hate wearing layers. For those that train with me, they know my bad habit of WAY over-dressing. Yep, I am a compulsive layerer. I can be found frequently running around town in at least 3 pair of pants and 5 tops. It is a little ridiculous and one would think that after 6 winters (going on 7) of running/training in Colorado that I would have acclimated. But no, instead I pile on layer after layer until I resemble the kid in Christmas Story in his winter suit running away from bullies than a runner with miles to run.
So, obviously I am not from Colorado. I grew up in Amarillo, Texas and for those who don't know the climate is actually very similar to Fort Collins. In Amarillo it doesn't get quite as cold in the winter and it is hotter in the summer. The air is drier in Amarillo and the elevation is about 1300 feet lower. But we still got big snow storms with snow drifts 4-5 feet tall, we had snow days and blizzard warnings and below zero temps that I did run in. So, I am not sure why I can't handle a run in sub-zero temperatures without dressing as I do. So, as I deal with winter this year my goal is to try to not over-dress. I am failing miserably already and am destined to have to do piles and piles of laundry all winter long.
Despite the laundry and layering, training has actually been going ok. In the fall, I had been training for a marathon in Des Moines. I put in a lot of miles over the summer and early fall getting ready for a fast race and then my body began shutting down. I wasn't able to recover from easy days let alone hard ones. My races quickly began to show that something wasn't right and I cancelled the rest of my racing schedule and took almost a month totally off of running. I worked with several different people in the medical profession and got back on track and slowly started running. This past week I logged 52 miles that included 1 hill workout, a short tempo and a 15 mile long run. So, I am getting back up there with mileage and finally starting to feel like the runner I used to be. I am hopeful that the rest of winter and spring I will be able to continue building my mileage and start getting ready for some racing again (hopefully a marathon).