Winter mode

This morning, my usual jog had to be extra early because my wife and daughter were going on a field trip to NYC for some chilly holiday fun. As I was fumbling in the 5 a.m. predawn darkness for my jogging clothes, I could not find as many layers as I was hoping for in the laundry room. Too lazy to go back upstairs for more layers, I headed out the door.

My first reaction in the dark: Hmmm. Not bad. Not too cold. No wind. Plus, I was only doing a short half-hour jog, so the extra layers wouldn't be necessary.

Upon returning, I checked the temperature: 26 degrees.

You know you are in "winter running mode" when 26 degrees is "not bad."

While on the subject of cold-weather winter running: While shivering outside in a fire drill at the McCann Center last night, another Marist coach asked me if our athletes were "done running outside for the season." She meant well, really. I kept my "inner Hopkins" at bay, avoided sarcasm and explained to her nicely that it really isn't that bad running out in the cold.

And then I told her what I will tell you, about our winter running policy: Athletes that choose to run on the treadmill or the McCann track for their distance are welcome whenever either is available.

And this: Runners who prefer to run outside in all conditions are permitted to do so, as long as it is safe. This means: If the roads are slick, icy and snow-covered, no one can run off campus. If it is unsafe to drive cars, it is really unsafe to run on roads that you share with those same cars.

For the hard-core, Schab-types that just HAVE to run outside, even in blizzards, we will allow this provided no one leaves the safe confines of the Marist campus. For most, this means multiple repeats of the Campus Mile. The grounds team at Marist keeps the roads in tip-top shape, even during storms, during the winter months.

So bundle up, layer up and get ready for several months of cold-weather runs.