Wet, Cold, Hard on Soles?

Modenacart · Feb 14, 2014

I went for a run yesterday and it was wet and cold out, maybe mid 30's and it killed my feet. I ended up running in the dirt instead of on the asphalt, which was much colder than the asphalt but easy to run on. This run ended up being only 2 miles, much less than the 5 I ran on asphalt last week. I also pushed my pace up from about 9 minute miles to 7.5 minute miles because the ground was so cold. Good news is the 2 miles was really easy compared to 3 weeks ago.

I have ran on wet roads and cold roads without much problem, but I guess wet and cold was too much.

On a side note, Runkeeper said I ran 3.25 miles in 15 minutes I was running. That is a 4.6 minute mile. Too bad I know the distance was really 2 miles. I guess the clouds were bothering Runkeeper’s GPS.

scedastic · Feb 14, 2014

I don't miss the wet and cold, but I must say, wet means temperatures above -3F without a windchill,and that seems like a luxury right now.
Enjoy. I would wear some sort of socks/sandals thing for those conditions, but more power to you for dealing hard core.

Bare Lee · Feb 16, 2014

Modenacart said:
I have ran on wet roads and cold roads without much problem, but I guess wet and cold was too much.

.

Moisture makes a huge difference. It's really good at conducting the heat away, especially from the toes. For me, it's a difference of 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit compared with my dry surface tolerances in the cold. The one good thing, like you said, is that cold, wet surfaces push your pace!

swoggis · Feb 16, 2014

I also find that when the surface is wet/damp but not actually 'flooded', any grit or small pieces of salt will stick to my soles and start wearing away a hole unless I scuff my feet regularly to redistribute the particles. So, I end up with a lot more wear on my skin for any given distance, and always have a small blood blister or two from granules that I didn't dislodge quickly enough. Under dry conditions, those bits of stuff will just fall off after a step or two.