Cold run! (Read 912 times)

^^  Which one of you is this guy's buddy?

 

MTA: Wouldn't you know, new page.

Back to the OP:  Just keep experimenting to find your optimal layering strategy.  The sore calves were most likely not from cold, but from the different footing.  Mine do that if the snow is heavy or if the path has that "feedlot" texture.  It does take me a little longer to warm up when it's cold.  I just start at a gentle jog and speed up from there.  This morning it was 11F on my run and it was great.  Just about perfect.  Keep up the good work!  Running outside in the winter is pretty awesome.

Back to the OP:  Just keep experimenting to find your optimal layering strategy.  The sore calves were most likely not from cold, but from the different footing.  Mine do that if the snow is heavy or if the path has that "feedlot" texture.  It does take me a little longer to warm up when it's cold.  I just start at a gentle jog and speed up from there.  This morning it was 11F on my run and it was great.  Just about perfect.  Keep up the good work!  Running outside in the winter is pretty awesome.

Oh, I was on the same synthetic outdoor track I've been on for months.  No snow, no ice, just cold.    Same old thing as always.  My lower legs probably still have some muscle development to do, and I think that in my desire to get warm quickly, I started out too fast.  At one point my app said that I was doing a pace of something like 11 1/2 minutes per mile, and I am NOT ready for that yet.

Wow... is it coincidence that there is an UnderArmour Cold Gear ad right above my post??

No.

I went for a 6-miler in 15 degree weather on Sunday. I'm slow, so the run lasted a while. After the run, I went and bought a cheap neoprene and fleece face mask (has a nose hole cut-out and breathing holes over the mouth); everything else I wore seemed to be just right - cold weather tights, long sleeve tech shirt under a short sleeve tech shirt, fleece headband, those cheapy knitted gloves.

The one problem I run into that I haven't totally solved yet is how to keep my water from freezing in my handheld on long runs.  Depending on the temp it will freeze almost right away in the spout or take up to 60-90 minutes.  But either way it's annoying to be carrying around a bottle full of slush that I can't drink.  Currently, I fill it the night before and let it sit on the counter so it's at room temp before I leave.  Any other suggestions? 

A little gatorade added to the water will drop the freezing point. Not much but some...salt will do it to...and Vodka.

Go to a bike shop, they have thermal lined bottles. Again, it won't stop it but it will stay liquid longer.

Carry your bottle upside down.

When I train for a spring marathon I drop a cheap thermos. To date nobody has taken it.

Besides what's already been mentioned, check the type of nozzle in your handheld. Bottles differ in the size of the opening. Smaller ones clog faster than the bigger ones. (I was very frustrated when I first started running in colder temperatures and discovered this.)

Keep in mind that a handheld is held away from your body and will be more susceptible to cold than something in a waistbelt or in a jacket packet.

Can I assume that you're running somewhere around -20F and colder if you're getting slush in the bottle before the nozzle actually freezes so quickly? I'm asking because I can run for 1-2 hrs without slush (or minimal slush) in those temperatures - but I'm using a waistbelt, 24-oz bottle, starting with hot water, and putting a sock over the top of the nozzle. The nozzle may start freezing if I don't drink every 15min or so. I can't remember if I was using sportsdrinks or plain water. I know last year, the nozzle froze on me, but close enough to 2 hrs, that running the last 10min or so without water wasn't an issue.

MTA: Some of the thermal lined bottles don't have protection for the top part, others do.