My First Run of 2014
By JosephTree
Photo by PublicDomainPhotos.com
I've been suffering from Motivational Deficiency (MD) of late, but couldn't resist the sun and sparkle of this morning. So what if there's 7 inches of new snow and the temp is hovering around 12F? That's up from 1F this morning, and should feel relatively balmy. Wind is calm today, anyway, which is a blessing.
So I layered up a bit:
- 4 long sleeve tech shirts
- 2 long lycra pants
- one pair knit ankle warmers
- one pair knit half mits
- one nearly felted knit wool cap, and
- one pair of Vibram Bikilas
I headed out my door and skipped around the already melting bits of slush and within 400 yards was on my local trail. I was delighted to find it was still virgin snow, except for the tracks of lots of deer, fox, squirrel, rabbits, and et ceteras. I hadn't realized how busy the wildlife was around here!
The running was exquisite! Easy and quiet, and the layered clothes served just fine. My feet felt the cold, but were OK for most of the run. I limited my distance to about 3.5 miles just to be sure to get home with the same number of toes I started with, and was glad I did. I hadn't realized how much more work it is running in snow. By the time I hit the 3 mile mark I was really starting to feel it, and was streaming sweat. Also, my feet were feeling a little too good, in that they weren't feeling much at all. I could wiggle my toes, and did that a lot, but I knew I was just about done.
It was a fine First Run, and I look forward to many more through the year.
I do have one question for the intrepid winter runner folk here, and that is:
-----> What is the best strategy for warming up really cold toes?
- Shuck off the shoes (if any) and hit the shower? or
- Baby them a bit and let them come up to temp gently before subjecting them to the warm water?
Either way I think one will get some of the agony of returning circulation....or maybe not? Any wisdom on this point?