Madison, Wisconsin where I now reside is rightly regarded as one of the best places for healthy living, with bike trails, lakes, and health food stores in abundance. Of course, sometimes there are large amounts of snow, but my neighbors like to shovel for each other and sometimes finish by celebrating together in the middle of the street. Other people in town take their tents out on the frozen lake, and drill holes in the ice for fishing. Recently, I was driving down Willy Street on the way to the Co-Op where I buy groceries when I spotted a jogger in shorts and T-shirt happily running along - after sunset - with a wind chill well below zero! Clearly there was a strong motivation for jogging that I did not understand. It almost looked as if the jogger was escaping – running away from someone or something - in the dark of night and the middle of winter.
I thought about the activities I enjoy when I need to escape – reading books, watching movies, and doing art. Some people enjoy online Internet gaming, maybe to escape or overcome a negative mood, feelings of helplessness, guilt, or anxiety. But of course, gaming is also connected with the development of a high level of important strategy skills. Online games can help to develop teamwork, concentration, communication and problem-solving skills. So here is this jogger, zipping along on the sidewalk, when other people are in their cars with the heaters “full flame on.” I wondered what the story was behind the winter athletic jogging sport.
As I pulled into the parking lot at the Co-Op, I saw the jogger pass me and head through the front door – apparently there to purchase a snack, or maybe re-hydrate. So I went inside, and was curious to see what I could learn. What was the jogger’s motivation? Was it some form of self-suppression, escaping worries and anxieties, or was it perhaps self-expansion, development and growth? Was it an addictive behavior - was it somehow an adaptation to stress? I picked up a warm cup of Dark French Roast, and headed to the register to pay. Luckily, at that point I caught a glimpse of the jogger’s T-shirt which had a logo text on it with the words “Frozen Assets.” I thought to myself – that’s for sure, frozen indeed!
After I arrived home, I began to think about the jogger and the words “Frozen Assets.” Maybe there is something I am missing about all this. So I looked it up. It turns out there is a major event taking place next week on the large Mendota Lake here in Madison. (The lakes become public parks during winter.) So far, the event has raised over $1,200,000 for lake improvement projects, educational programs, and water quality monitoring. The Frozen Assets Festival will kick off with a 5K run on the ice, and will be followed by hockey, ice sculpting, snowshoeing, ice skating, free hot chocolate, a skydiving ice jump, IceCube (one of the biggest and strangest telescopes in the world), and demonstrations with liquid nitrogen – for those who like it colder than −320 °F.
I used to think lightly of those Californians who pay $3000 to be frozen for three minutes in a sealed chamber, but Cryotherapy enthusiasts are now reporting a powerful endorphin release as well as the rapid circulation of oxygen-rich blood throughout their bodies – very healthy. Cryotherapy has been shown in research to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and increase perceived quality of life. I used to think the Lake Superior winter swimmers were beyond comprehension, but I’m beginning to think they know something - like the people who flock to the famous cold bath houses dotting the Swedish coastline, and the teenagers who go for a Scandinavian Ice Ritual - a rite of passage where they cut large ice blocks out of the lake, and swim in the water below.
As I write this, it is -7 °F here in Madison. The weather-caster on the radio says, “It is cold, with wind chill well below zero, heavy clouds, and snow is forecast to begin at noon – a beautiful day in Madison.” I am grateful to be here, surrounded by all the beauty, but I have much to learn about being cold.
A couple of thoughts: 1) when I see these folks running in shorts in zero degree weather, I think of the “handicap principle.” If a fellow shows off how fit he (she) is, then to a potential mate it demonstrates the person’s good genes because things go well despite the handicap.
2. Challenge is good! Not just for one showing off but as you point point out making one’s system more robust! A newspaper story about a woman going through Lake Mendota ice certain to perish if an ice fisherman hadn’t heard her calls for help. The stress of her experience probably outweighed any benefit however
There's being cold and then there's being stupid. I've been in some extreme cold in Syracuse New York with -40 wind chills and no thanks. However, the coldest I ever remember was you trying to put rings in the 46 milk truck in Albuquerque. I lasted about ten minutes.