January Freeze 10k

Our friend Paul McCabe is a member of The Triple Cities Runner's Club (TCRC) here and asked Paul if he or I was interested in running the 10k they were hosting yesterday (Sat). The club hosts a 10k every Saturday in January. They call it the January Freeze 10k Series. They call it that for a reason. Since Paul had planned on meeting Eric in Tully to do a training hike for Aconcagua, he wasn't available to run. I considered it, but I knew it was going to be very cold and I wasn't sure I wanted to race in those conditions. Paul left early and I lazed around and finally decided that sure, I would go ahead and run. What the heck?!
I dressed with what I thought was adequate clothing and headed out the door. Once I got to Otsiningo Park, I got out of the truck to go find registration. I passed Paul's car but I didn't see him inside. As I walked past, I heard, "Jen!" and I turned around to see Paul roll down his window. He was staying warm inside! Smart! He told me where to go to register. I was freezing as I filled out my form to get my bib number. After that it was back to the car to warm up.
I stayed in the car as long as I could, but soon it was time to head down to the start.
I jogged/walked the short distance to the start and talked to Paul before we set off. It was sooo cold! It was windy and (according to TCRC's website) it was 12 degrees. Brrrrrr! And we're off! Oh man it was cold. Run, run, run. Brrr, brrr, brrr.
My skull gloves proved to be the worst idea. They may have been cool for style, but they were worthless for warmth. Dumb move!
I started out just as I felt, but the cold air in my lungs seemed to make me feel as though I was putting out a lot of effort. I was surprised to see my first mile was 8:38 (according to my Garmin watch). I plugged along and while my core temperature was warm, my hands and face were not. I finished strong and honestly headed straight for the car. I was so focused on getting to the car that I realized I didn't stop my watch as I crossed the finish line. Oh well!
I started the car and put on my down jacket and changed my gloves. I sat there for a few minutes before heading back out to grab some orange juice that had icy bits in it from sitting out! Talked with Paul McCabe briefly and got back in the car before leaving the park.
I wasn't sure of my exact finish time because of the watch issue though I did see the clock as I passed it. It was 52 minutes and change, I estimated 52:04. That is a personal record for me in the 10k. I was surprised then, when I checked the official results on TCRC's website that my time was 51:43. I think they were a little generous unless the finish line was not where I thought it was. I'm honestly unclear what my ACTUAL finish time was, but regardless it was still a PR for me and that made me quite happy considering the harsh conditions. They don't call it the January Freeze 10k Series for nothing, that's for sure!