COLD WEATHER - RERUN

Cold Weather Running



I will start this with a little background, up until last winter (2007-2008) I was a fair weather runner. Even though I had run many marathons and ultras I wouldn’t train outside if the weather was too harsh. For example anything under 30 degrees and I was on a treadmill or indoor track. I once did 30 miles indoors to get ready for the Brew to Brew, a local 42 miler, so you can see how determined I was to avoid the elements. J Then September 9, 2007 I had a little accident on the trampoline with my kids and crushed a vertebra. I was down for about two weeks and started with light cross training. I didn’t start running until eight weeks later, and that may not seem long to most but when running is your passion it is a lifetime. I was told to start moderate exercise in twelve weeks, what a bunch of crap!! If I can give one piece of advice about injuries it would be that MOVEMENT is healing. If you don’t move you atrophy and that is worse than an injury. Anyway moving on, during this time I realized how much I took running for granted and should be thankful for every step. So it was at this time as we went into the winter months I decided that I should be thankful to run in the cold since I came close to not ever being able to run again. That winter I ran outside rain, sleet, or snow and actually enjoyed most of it. I keep telling myself that I have the special clothing to run outside in this weather so embrace it. The winter went well and I somehow survived the cold weather runs that most runners had already conquered.

During this time I received a short video from Bobbi, a friend and ultrarunner, about a guy who ran a half marathon in the arctic in sub zero temps. It was very interesting and motivating at the time as I was trying to beat the cold weather. He ran barefoot with shorts, hat, and gloves. No shirt!! It is a nine minute video so they do cover his training and preparation which isn’t rocket science he just conditioned his body and MIND (key) to handle the elements. I watched it many times and became intrigued since I had been such a pansy when it comes to running in the cold. As the current (2008-2009) winter season approached I thought to myself if he can conquer the cold so can I. So it began.

I started with a short two mile run; the temp was about 31 degrees with light wind. Normally I would have had long pants, long sleeve shirt, fleece, hat and gloves. Oh, and as we progress I will always have on running shoes as I have wimpy feet, I very rarely go barefoot in good weather. J So I started out my short run with shorts, tank top, hat and gloves. I sit in my truck beforehand gearing up mentally and talking to myself for about fifteen minutes just a little short of the time it took to run my two miles. J Off I went, I was running on the dirt trails, it was a bit brisk the first five minutes but then I started to get going and found that it really wasn’t too bad. Yeah it was cold but it really wasn’t much different than when I had all the cold weather gear on. I say that because I sweat a lot, more than most, and my layers get wet and start to feel cold against my skin. My wife, Paula who is also an ultra runner, had told me many times that I was over dressing since I sweat so much and to wear less for more comfort. But really who listens to their spouse. J So with no wet clothing against my skin it really was bearable and my body had just started to really heat up and suddenly I was finished with my two mile test run. It really flew by and I enjoyed it. Conclusion: This was not long enough to really test myself since it seemed so comfortable. Must run longer, which is usually my answer to any running question. J

Having such a successful first test I decided to jump to six miles and see what would happen, I did it on the dirt trails so it was about 70 minutes. I usually split my running fairly evenly between the trails and roads, both are fun I am not a fanatic about either. I love both and know that the positives outweigh any negative you could come up for either type of running. Now keep in mind that running in the Midwest it can be 30 degrees one day and 60 the next so it was a couple of days until I had good testing weather. I never thought I would be looking forward to cold weather to run in. J

It was about 32 degrees with light wind; the wind will come later, and very sunny. The sun has played a major mental part of this test, more about that later. I had on shorts, short sleeve shirt, hat and gloves. There was a difference between the shirt and the tank top but let’s get to the run. Not as much mental prep this time just changed clothes in the truck and I was off. I guess I had mentally adjusted a little because it didn’t really seem all that cold this time as I started. I had a fairly easy pace enjoying the day and scenery and didn’t notice too much discomfort unless a strong wind kicked up but even then it wasn’t bad. About a mile into it I came upon a fellow trail runner who was in full cold weather gear, hat, gloves, fleece, and long pants. He looked me up and down, I gave a hearty good morning and he screamed, “ALRIGHT!” It had to be my attire because my speed isn’t impressive at all. J As I reached my turnaround point, I noticed my shirt was a little damp from sweat and I could feel a slight chill. That was the difference between the moisture wicking shirt and a mesh moisture wicking tank top, not that the shirt was that much more material or even warmer it just adsorbed the sweat and in turn I got colder than when I had on the mesh tank. I was still fairly comfortable and finished the run without any problems. The shirt situation wasn’t a problem just more of an observation to file away. At this point I am starting to realize that what I had been avoiding all this time wasn’t such a problem after all. All in all, this was a successful test.

I still hadn’t faced any horrible weather such as wind, rain and or snow storms, and with Global Warming taking over the earth I wasn’t expecting any. J A week later they were predicting snow, how could this be, so I thought it would be a good time to test myself even further. It did snow the next day, actually a mild snow storm with wind around 20 MPH, GREAT I thought and then I thought I have become an idiot!

My concern in this type of weather wasn’t necessarily the cold but the freezing wind and if it would do actual damage to the skin with long exposure, so I thought I would do a short three mile run to ease into the extreme weather.

It was snowing with the 20 MPH wind and the temp was 27 degrees, oddly enough I was hoping for colder. What the hell was happening to my mindset?? I think my brain is in hibernation from the exposure to the colder weather. J So I was at it again this time more concerned about slipping and falling than being cold. It was short and sweet, I enjoyed running in the snow but the pavement did make for a few more hazards. The wind was hitting me from all directions, I was running in Kansas, but it was once again not as bad as I had anticipated. It really was quit fun and funny to see people’s reaction, though this time I only saw one person. A girl probably in her mid 20s riding a bike on the paved trails, I thought is she crazy she is going to crash on this slick path. Then I started laughing as I’m sure she thought is he crazy he is going to freeze to death. J Again a successful run but not a tough test.

A few days later I went nine miles on the trails and followed with eight miles on the roads two days after that. Temps were about 27-33 degrees as it did warm up a little during both runs. Again no major difficulties, though I did find myself chasing the sun at times. It just felt better mentally, and I swear I was warmer. It made sense but I really didn’t think it would make that much of a difference. Oh, my run on the road was a little windy and my nipples started to hurt from the cold and wind but it was funny. Maybe I should try Nip Guards J

Now at this point I am waiting for colder weather and anticipating putting myself to the test in harsher conditions. So in the meantime I have been running in temps 30-60 degrees all the while running in just a tank and shorts when normally when it drops below 60 I start wearing long sleeves. So the conditioning to the cold has paid off from that perspective, as I have yet to run in any temps below 27. The forecast called for a cold front coming in the week of December 15 with lows around 12 degrees and highs at 22. This is what I have been waiting for--a real challenge! Although, I am a little confused how we are supposed to have one of the coldest winters in twenty years when Al and his sheep are in a Global Warming panic that suddenly the earth is going to explode. It doesn’t seem logical but I won’t confuse logic with politics, because that just isn‘t done. J Let’s move on.

Well the cold front did come in the night of December 14, it was 60 degrees in the morning and I think it was 8 degrees that night so I was anticipating a challenging run the next morning. After taking our dogs out the morning of the 15th I must admit I was more than a little concerned about running in the single digits without cold weather gear But I had to see this though to the end where ever that might be.

It was about 10 am and the temp was 7 degrees with the wind chill at -8 degrees, and I was thinking this was a huge difference and was more than a little concerned. As I changed in my truck I kept asking myself what the hell I was doing and then laughing out loud to myself. Once I was changed and ready to go I didn’t waste much time as I was anxious for the outcome. I stepped outside and the cold just took my breath away! I took off running at a quick pace hoping to warm up. About five minutes into the run I could feel my skin burning slightly, and when I looked at my arms, they were bright red. The redness was expected but the burning I thought would happen after about 20-30 minutes came on much quicker than I anticipated. As my skin started to burn a little more I decided to go just two miles and work up from there. At the turnaround point my chest started to burn and the pain was getting a little uncomfortable. You know how it feels when you put antiseptic on a cut? Well that’s how my whole body felt, sounds exhilarating doesn’t it? I think I ran the fastest mile I had run in years! Not only was I trying to get back fast but I thought the more I worked the more heat I would generate. It didn’t work that way, as I could have sworn that was what science taught us. Oh, well, what do you expect from a public school education? J

Now I know a lot of you, once you have finished a new challenge, have thought to yourself once it was over you had more in you and didn’t give it your best. Well, that’s what happened. I finished and was grateful to be back but as I was getting into my truck I thought I should have at least gone three miles or even four. I don’t know about you, but I hate that feeling, as it is a weak, empty feeling. I did feel at the time that I just couldn’t stand the cold any longer and the burning was becoming very uncomfortable. Then you second guess yourself and think that it really didn’t hurt that much I shouldn’t have wimped out so quickly.

Fortunately I was able to redeem myself later that day, a couple hours later my friend Beth wanted to do a two mile run. She was in the recovery phase after a half marathon so I thought that would be perfect. It had warmed up to 10 degrees with a wind chill of -4, so this should be no problem. All the same things happened to my body as the first time except I was mentally prepared and it wasn’t as traumatic. I actually slowed down and walked a little, overall I was out about five minutes longer than the first time. The jump in temp really helped J but most importantly my mind set, I knew what was coming. Yes it was cold and my skin was burning but it really wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be, I Knew I could endure more.

Over the next few days the temps were 18 - 30 degrees. To be honest, after running in the subzero wind chill these temps were easy to handle. One day I was getting ready to run and it was 25 degrees I was planning on the usual attire then I thought, “Let’s try no shirt!” Yes, I’m a genius why not run in 25 degrees with no shirt! The funny thing is that it wasn’t bad, I did have a little burning on my chest when I finished but nothing serious. I’ve had more pain doing tequila shots after a marathon. J Of course I don’t recommend that.

I will end this by telling you that today I ran for two miles in shorts, hat and gloves. No shirt! It was 3 degrees with a wind chill of 10 below, exhilarating!! I ran with a couple of friends, Paula made it clear she didn’t want me to do this kind of stuff alone anymore. I have to listen to her every now and then. J Bobbi and Courtney met me at 8 am and off we went we ran through our Plaza are and it was the first time I had done this in public. People were honking and giving me a thumbs up, it was great. The burning started about five minutes in to the run, again. About fifteen minutes through it leveled of and became bearable, when we stopped I stretched and became a little warm standing outside. I again regretted not going further, but it was then I decided this experiment is over and I found out what I wanted. What was that? Well that the human body can adapt to just about anything, you just have to have the desire. Most people don’t want to run outside in subzero temps in just shorts but you can if you want. It doesn’t matter if it is running in the cold, heat or running a marathon or ultra or even 100 miles. If you have the desire and the discipline to train for it, it can happen.

This was not a test conducted by an elite athlete with a bunch of scientific equipment, it was a regular guy testing himself against the elements. I have never won a marathon or ultra run, I have finished many mid and back of the pack, so if I can do it you can too. All it takes is desire!! GOD made us to handle the elements not sit on the couch! So quit whining about the cold and just be happy that you can run.