When taking self-portraits I normally don’t like to appear as if I’m taking a self-portrait, but sometimes it isn’t possible to prepare effectively. I often joke about being apathetic, but like to think there is some kind of ambition inside me since under circumstances like this I tend to explain. A lot.

Until a few years ago I thought people who ran (or worked) in such cold climates were either brave or stupid, but that was a thoughtless opinion. We do it now, and I don’t consider we are either; we just like to be outdoors and refuse to let the weather stop us.

Today was no different. It would be a busy day, so, despite the weather, we decided to run this morning just after sunrise. I’ll admit it was only the second mile that convinced me it was a good idea. And there was plenty of time for mildly stressing out — prepping for a run at -10 Fahrenheit is not trivial and takes time to be sure we can stay comfortable and alive.

For me a typical run means monitoring myself and counting the minutes until the end. Not her, according to her relatively profound diversionary thoughts. But, as unusual as this week’s cold has been, I find myself accepting the conditions more than usual. In fact I might say the hardship of being out there on the ice — sweating beneath insulation — has been pleasant. I always look forward to the next outing.

And the colder it gets, I realize more how useless it has been attending to these old, reactionary thoughts questioning our decisions and preparation. Clearly I am not the person who still continues to influence me, and I should be more willing to let go of his baseless fears.