Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Running in a Winter Wonderland

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

Hi folks…as you saw in Michelle's post yesterday, we got dumped on with snow on the weekend.  In our part of town we ended up getting 70cm (28 inches) of snow in a 24-hour period.  Here's a time-lapse video one guy took from Saturday morning through to Sunday evening.

As you can see, there was a lot of shoveling involved…and my body is aching from it.  The top layer of snow was soft and fluffy, but the stuff down at the bottom was heavy and wet.  Not fun.  All I wanted to do was go back up to the cottage, grab a book and sit here to cozy up.  Nothing like the heat off of a good woodstove fire, love it.

photo 5

While we didn't get the snow up at the cottage, it was still brutally cold -- the wind-chill had temperatures feeling like -15°C (2°F) -- but I did manage to get out for a 15-mile run on Sunday morning.  As I got out into the countryside I felt every bone-chilling blast of wind as it whipped across the farmer's fields.  Despite dressing warm, my fingers were numb.  I wore my insulated Nike Pro Combat running tights (they say 'Hyperwarm', so they must work!) along with a MEC long-sleeve dri-fit shirt and my Adidas winter running jacket.  I added a Lululemon running toque and fleece Nike running gloves, laced up my New Balance MT1010 trail shoes and I was off.  With my hood up and glasses on, my nose and cheeks were the only areas of visible skin…my one buddy said I looked like a scuba diver!

photo 1

The outfit did the trick though, and other than my left hand, everything stayed pretty warm and comfortable.  This is how I dressed all through last winter and I'll keep relying on this getup until something better comes along.

When I went for my lunch run yesterday I had to battle with the snow…a challenge you need to experience to truly understand.  I would think it would be comparable to trail running, but in freezing conditions and with cars zooming by you just inches away in some spots, and neither you nor the car really sure where your next step will take you.

I took to the roads (well, the sidewalks) to run as the pathways through the park were non-existent.  At least some of the sidewalks had been plowed out…oh wait, they weren't.  At least most of the sidewalks had been somewhat trampled down by pedestrians.  There were plenty of snowbanks that I had to hurdle over and let me tell you, that is a workout.  I got nearly 5 miles in and somehow managed to keep an 8 minute mile pace…hardest 8 minute pace I've ever run!

photo 3

We had a little dusting overnight again, so we'll see what the sidewalks are like for today's run…and the sidewalks still haven't been touched by the city :(

In other news, I'm finally getting around to building a little home gym in the basement.  I have a little helper that wants nothing more than to work with Dad and yesterday he was super excited because he got to hammer a nail.

photo 4

He even wore the requisite construction flannel…he's a natural!  Maybe tonight I'll get him using the skil saw (Kidding!  No letters to Children's Services, please).

With this onset of winter weather has anyone else been out on a snow run yet?

Anyone actually enjoy winter running?

8 comments:

  1. The sidewalks have been done here if you feel like running this way.

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  2. That snow is insane!! You know where I'll be running!!

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  3. Sugar Coated SheridanNovember 26, 2013 at 10:49 PM

    That snow is just ridiculous!! And I absolutely love your little helper...So precious :)

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  4. I can't even imagine what it is like to run in the snow, much less workout in it, being that the coldest temps we get in Northern California are in the 40's! We complain that we are freezing when it is 54 degrees!

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  5. Ya pretty crazy...was better on Tuesday, some paths were plowed out a bit. Don't have to worry on the treadmill though, do you?

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  6. That boy just loves to help...he was back at it with me after work yesterday.

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  7. It is like a trail run...a freezing, slippery trail run. The path is very uneven, you can never really get good footing and every step is an adventure. You really need to have your head into it or you'll probably take a spill. Maybe I should move to NoCal!

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