How many of you suffered a cold weather injury?
I had thought I'd been methodically working my way down, but at the end of December I ended up with either frost nip or mild frost-bite after running on a thin layer of snow in 21F / -6 C degree weather. After 3-4 weeks, most of my plantar and toe calluses molted. Wasn't able to start running barefoot again until Feb or so, and didn't really regain my tolerances until about a month after that.
What do some of those new to the challenge think about running barefoot in the winter?
I ran barefoot last winter too, but was unaware of YOW's challenge until close to its finish, when I began participating on BRS more actively. And I have done minor things barefoot in the winter (get the mail, take out the trash, shovel the walks, go on short walks, grill out on the deck) for a good part of my adult life. Nonetheless, this was my first winter of really extensive barefooting, despite being held back by injuries earlier in the fall. Last winter was a lot warmer and my mileage was a lot less due to a nagging problem with TOFP throughout the season.
I'd say this year my tolerances improved, mostly in terms of being able to better deal with wetness and slush, although I found out I still can't deal with snow below a certain temperature. At this point running on dry asphalt or concrete when it's above freezing doesn't feel like a challenge at all. That is, it feels like normal barefoot running, not like winter barefoot running, although I know my first 41 F / 5 C run next fall will feel chilly again.
It seemed to me that fewer people were recording runs after December. Why? Was it cold or running conditions?
For me it was partly conditions--January was a lot colder than December--but most of it was having to first nurse my feet back from late December's mild frost bite, and then rebuild my calluses. I found uncallused feet, especially the toes, are much more sensitive to the cold than callused ones.
Forgot to have any pics taken, sorry. Maybe next year, unless I move somewhere without a winter! The Winter Challenge definitely made winter running more interesting and enjoyable, that's for sure, but I'd still rather not have to deal with winter running altogether. It's soooo nice now not having to think about back-up footwear, layers, weather, surface conditions, and all the rest, and so many more routes are open to me now. I spent a good part of the second half of winter running back and forth on the same .9-mile street in the fairgrounds because I found it always dries out quicker than any other street after snowfall.