A Cost

The past few days, I have actually been reminded of one of the costs of ultra running. It's not that big of a deal. Shoot, several years ago, one of the runners of Arrowhead 135 lost several fingers.

And this running long is certainly not like mountain climbing, white water rafting or sword juggling where one's life is part of the gamble of participating.

However, several years back, Pete and I would meet once a week for our long run. At that time, we were meeting in Taylors Falls and either running right there in the WI park or driving up to Wild River.

It was a badge of honor to be out in the cold. The colder the better. During most runs, despite heroic efforts, my water tube would freeze and Pete's bottles would turn to slushies. During this time, I learned the value of wool.

One particularly cold morning, I could not keep my face warm, particularly my nose. A week later, I noticed that there was a tiny spot on my nose where the skin was dry and flaky.

Guess what? To this day, and strangely more often when it is warm, that frost-bitten spot on my nose burns and flakes. SO, there is a cost of running long.