It’s the last Friday of the month, so it’s time to join Marcia for “Runfessions!” Runfessions are running truths or “where runners bare their souls and soles.” Well, 2026 has been a doozy so far. Thank goodness for running. Here’s my January 2026 Runfessions.
I runfess… that even though I’m a huge winter running fan, January has been hard core here in Chicago. We had many days where the ambient temps were very low and the wind was whipping. I got a mix of outdoor and treadmill runs. Typically, I wait until the weather is above 0 ambient before I go outside, but this month I’ve made a few exceptions. Do you have a temperature that you typically wait for before going out or a temperature below which you won’t run outside?
I runfess… I was reluctant to go on my first run tour of the year. It was last Saturday and it was at 7:00 AM. It was -6 F with 11 mph winds. It was booked as a 15K but we were both proud to hit 10K. Here’s an Instagram reel if you want to see what it looked like. The striking thing was how few people were out. We did a private tour of Millennium Park – so that was cool!
I runfess… that every year I forget the unbelievable winter sunrises that I get to see when I run. Of course the sun rises later so it’s easier to see it, but WOWZA!
I runfess… there’s something about frigid runs with friends that makes everything OK. And bonus points to my friends who humor me and let me take corny photos to remember it by.
I runfess… it feels a little weird not to have any races on deck until late March. My last race was in early December at CIM. This is the longest stretch of not racing since the pandemic. I’ve been trying to run less and cross train more. I’ve done a terrible job of swimming and spinning but I’m going to try to join a swim class starting next Tuesday and have Cycle for Survival on February 7. So hopefully my February cross training report will be better!
Do you have any Runfessions? Please leave them in the comments.
I’m linking up with Darlene, Michelle, Renee and Jenn for Fit Five Friday. Join us!
Have a great weekend! I hope the temps by you are how you like them!
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