Running in the cold: Is it dangerous or okay?

It's a brand new year and many of us have set brand new resolutions. Getting out and exercising more could be at the top of many people's list for 2007. While New Years gym-goers are sure to renew those ancient memberships, others may set their sights on taking regular jogs around their neighborhood or park. But the weather is still cold so running outside is something that requires a certain degree of safety.

A humorous take on runner's safety in the cold is best exemplified by Doctor Melvin Hershkowitz. In a funny third-person tone, he wrote an autobiographical account of how taking a jog in freezing temperatures rendered the man's genital glans "frigid, red, and anesthetic to light touch." Don't worry, he recovered.

But the moral of the story stands: boxers won't protect you all by themselves. Another concern the author tackles is frozen lungs. Interestingly enough, this is nothing more than a common myth as many doctors assure the only way this symptom can occur is if the runner is dead. Although the cold, dry atmosphere can induce "runner's asthma," our bodies are well-adapted and warm the air going into the lungs. So is running in the cold dangerous? Only if you don't bundle up properly (or don breezy underwear).