I raced.  20:46.  5 OA and 2 AG (focking figures).

25 mph winds with 45 mph gusts.  Wind chill of -4.  I actually had to stop twice during my warm up to turn my back to the wind and cover my face.  There is just no way I was going to run fast today.  I never got warm during the race, I merely got less cold.  I even wore three layers on top and two on the bottom.  The course was a lot hillier than I expected, and the entire last mile was uphill.  After two miles I knew I was locked into 5th place and was not going to put up a great time, so I really didn't give the last mile a very hard push.  We'll just call this a good workout.  Oski and Mr. Oski cheered me on then took me to the cupcake store after.  

 

Great courage racing in that wind and cold.

Thanks.  This was a rare instance where I was actually questioning my decision to race as I got out of my car.

 

Hmm, that gives me an idea; maybe I'll go with 2 tops and a singlet...

 

I have three jackets; a North Face Isotherm, which is the "thinnest". A New Balance Raptor and a Brooks Thermolite.  If there was no wind, it wouldn't be an issue, as anything in the 20s is generally tech top weather.

Hard to see what kind of insulation your jackets have from Internet pics and descriptions, but from what I see, my jacket (a Salomon Equipe XC skiing jacket) is probably comparable to your North Face. I've run in foking cold weather in that, given I wear 2 tech shirts underneath in the cold.

I might buy another one this spring if I see one I like on clearance. I'll probably be looking into Asics, as they often make their clothes thin and long.

Nice 5k DaveP. Such sacrifices you have to make for running.

5k in 21:02. 3/44 AG.

Never thought I'd be happy with this kind of time, but I am. I am currently out of shape & slow; my goal was sub-21 but I honestly thought it'd be closer to 21:30. Didn't really know anything about the course, but it was in the same town as a hilly AF 5k I did a while back. It was 42 & rainy. Turned out to be the same sucky course; mile 1 had a lot of uphill and ended up ~7:24, around HMP.  Actually raced without looking at my watch except for the mile splits. This is only because I recognized 2 guys ahead of me who I had been competitive with in other races. I figured if I could keep up with them, I'd be OK. They were within sight the whole race, but I couldn't catch them. I thought I remembered them being in my AG, but fortunately I misremembered. I was pretty surprised to finish just over 21:00; I must've really hammered the downhills. On a better course, this could've been respectable.

 

Now waiting for AG awards, which they are unfortunately holding in an Irish Pub. I am forced to drink a Guinness while I wait. Running is hard.

Your last mile in 6:34? Was that mostly downhill?

You would have been sub-21 if you had gotten the racing shoes 

 

Your last mile in 6:34? Was that mostly downhill?

You would have been sub-21 if you had gotten the racing shoes 

Ha. I was waiting for that. Yes there was some pretty serious downhills in the last mile.

 

That is exactly what I did. It was perfect. Thanks for the tip, Cyberic. 

That's mostly how I'll go on really cold days (low teens or single digits).  I'll wear a heavy underarmour, with a smart wool over that, and then a cotton t on the top.  Most important is the balaclava.

And all of this talk of shoes just cost me 115.  The deals at running warehouse just too good to pass up.  Got a pair of GoRun 5's and a pair of Kinvara 7s.

I'm a happy camper.  

 

Hard to see what kind of insulation your jackets have from Internet pics and descriptions, but from what I see, my jacket (a Salomon Equipe XC skiing jacket) is probably comparable to your North Face. I've run in foking cold weather in that, given I wear 2 tech shirts underneath in the cold.

I might buy another one this spring if I see one I like on clearance. I'll probably be looking into Asics, as they often make their clothes thin and long.

The North Face is paper thin, but with its wind blocking properties, I've worn in in subzero wind chills. The New Balance is a bit heavier but it's older so I don't wear it as much. The Brooks has properties similar to a down filled jacket, which is great until you start running. It heats up fast! I bought it for running in the teens and lower, which I didn't really do a lot of this year, thankfully.