HOW COLD WAS IT...?

It was so cold . . .UN weapons inspectors suddenly decided that chemical weapons might be hidden in Hawaii! (Rimshot)

It was so cold...roosters were rushing into Kentucky Fried Chicken and begging to use the pressure cooker! (Rimshot)

It was so cold . . .a flasher rushed up to poor Mrs. Flannigan - and described himself! (Rimshot)

It was so cold...we had lunch down at the "Greasy Spoon" - just for the heartburn! (Rimshot)

It was so cold...people were ice fishing ON Lake Galena Sunday morning when I went out for my 8 mile run.

Now, I will tell you the truth, I don't remember Lake Galena being THAT frozen before on my weekend runs. And, I was a little nervous for them as I was running by. I was thinking, 'how would I contact help if they fell through?'. Then, I saw them drill a hole through the ice. And drill. And drill. It took awhile before they hit non-frozen water. Yes, it has been that cold. But, you probably knew that already.

My Sunday morning run, yesterday, was a test for me in different ways. First, a test of my motivation. It was 18 degrees (F) when I started my run. And, in truth, Lake Galena probably wasn't the best place to run that day. The winds were whipping up on various parts of the course so it felt a lot colder. There weren't too many runners (or anyone else) out there. So, I had to convince myself not to pack it in and go back to my nice warm car.

Secondly, a test of my endurance. I have done more cross-training lately to try to perserve some endurance. But, as you know, cross-training helps but does not take the place of running. So, as I was running, it was hard to figure out whether I was getting fatigued from my lack of endurance or just breathing in iced air. Probably a little bit of both. Not sure what others think but...can you feel just as tired from the extreme cold as you do from the extreme heat? Not sure.

And, thirdly, it was a test of my left Achilles. It has been feeling good. And, I have a tendency to baby injuries as not to re-injure myself. I wasn't feeling too bad except the last mile. And, then my ankle was feeling sore. After my run, I knew why. My legs were very tight. The wind took its toll as I hardly was able to bend. I went home to massage and coddle my ankle. Took anti-inflammatories. And, it's fine today. So, that's a good sign.

So, the next few months should be interesting as I try to regain my endurance. Here in Bucks County, PA we've been lucky as we have avoided most of the snow this season. But, they are calling for 4-7 inches Tuesday night into Wednesday. (There goes my Wednesday running group for this week.) Back to the treadmill. And, I am going to rely more and more on cross training until spring to continue to heal. In the meantime, does anyone know what kind of fish you can get from Lake Galena that you would want to spend your day out there?

(Notes: If you were in stitches over my 'How cold was it? jokes (And, who doesn't love a 'how cold was it? joke?) here is the link from the material I borrowed. http://www.athropolis.com/jokes3.htm

One of my 'random thoughts' I had last week, was a question I have that has been bugging me for years. I grew up Roman Catholic and attended Catholic schools for 12 years. I am intrigued by other religions. IMy belief in religion is that no one religion is right but none of them are wrong. The basic principle is the same: love one another as you love yourself. But, I digress from my question. My question is: How do Protestant faiths choose their saints? For instance, in Catholicism, there are procedures before someone is declared a saint. I know there are saints in Protestant faiths as I drive past the St. James Lutheran church In Chalfont on my way to Lake Galena. So, are Protestant saints just the apostles? Do they have new saints? If so, how? I have asked and try to google looking for this answer but can never find information on this. If you know, please post a comment. I'm very curious.
Also, for those who believe in prayer, if I can ask you to please pray for my father's recovery. Thanks.)