The Triathlon Rx

I am happy to report that I am DONE with academics until January 18^th,  at which point I’m sure the 20-credit load will hit me and I’ll say “whaaat am I getting in to?” Until then, I’m completely satisfied with the extent of my “education” being Scrabble games with mom and grandma, and attempting the Sunday crossword.

I feel like there is so much to catch up guys up on, but to avoid writing a novel, or boring anyone to tears (scratch that last one – if you guys didn’t like it, you hopefully wouldn’t be here!), I’ll stick with one thing at a time. That one thing of today, as promised…

WINTER RUNNING!

With the exception of one brief year spent in Boston (in which I didn’t get to do a whole lot of running during anyways, thank you very much percutaneous pinning of left femoral neck)  I have spent the last 20 years living in Minnesota, and enduring, suffering, loving, and adventuring through the winters. As a wee five year old I did Ski School, ordered my hot dog and chocolate milk for lunch, and fatefully failed an attempt to get off the chair lift, resulting in scarring memories of me balling all the way down the mountain hill (pretty sure Minnesota is a non-mountainous state). No more skiing. (OK, the experience was def. not that traumatic, but downhill skiing is expensive!)

I also have fond memories of building hardcore igloos out of the snow that piled up from the plows on my corner. You’d swear my neighbor and I were children smuggled down from Alaska. So clearly, there was a time when winter was enjoyable. Where did I go wrong?

Love you Chris Schaffer, but that can be a little discouraging. However, like most all of life my friends, it’s a MINDSET. If you decide ahead of time that something is going to be miserable, hard, unsuccessful, or worse, un-attemptable, guess where you’re going to end up? With a big fat goose egg, a frown on your face, and quite possibly a piece of coal in your stocking (or Haunakkah equivalent, sorry for my ignorance). If you go into it (whatever it may be) with a positive outlook, a can-do attitude, and a little planning and preparation, well that amigo spells success. (Or éxitoI suppose ) Here’s what I got for ya:

PE 3315: WINTER RUNNING
Instructor: Sperly
Credits: 3
Grade: A-F, Pass/Fail option upon instructor approval
Prerequisites: LIFE 1303 Sucking It Up In A Complainer’s World

LAYERS

I don’t know how I can emphasize it strongly enough, but if you are someone who has actually attempted winter running, successively froze yo ass off, and swore it off for good, then LAYERS are your new best friend. This requires that you own more than one set of good winter clothes, but trust me, it’s well worth the investment. I’m the biggest campaigner for the “running is a low cost sport / anyone can do it” movement, but truthfully, your favorite cotton hoodie (no matter how warm it is) isn’t your best bet. Get cozy with the terms “thermal” and “moisture wicking”. And also please not that Under Armor is a brand, not a style of top.

On a super cold and windy day (ie -18° windchill, SE winds at 18mph blowing across the lake, and snow/ice/raining), LAYERS may look a little like this for Dr. TriRunner:

Smartwool: Clutch. End of story.

Base layer: medium to heavy grade spandex.

2^nd layer: looser fitting spandex, a pair of windpants, or a 2^nd pair of regular spandex. I actually didn’t wear the 2^nd pair on this day (it really was -18° with windchill!), but that’s personal preference. I can’t STAND having my legs too hot. Keep in mind though, that is only something you will learn with experience. Better safe toasty than sorry!

THERMAL: Actually, now that I write that in big bold letters, I realize maybe I’m using the wrong terminology. By “thermal” I mean its got that fleecy feel inside, it wicks away your sweat, but magically at the same time keeps heat inside – so cool! (Some days I still think I should have gone into BioTech…) Oh and while I’m at it, here is a perfect example of my non-Under Armor top. The maroon top as seen above would be NIKE Dry Fit. I’m not sure what makes people think that any top like this is called an Under Armor, but that would be a fallacy my friends. (Oh no! There’s that “education” sneaking back in!)

Jacket: Things to look for – windproof, ventilation options, reflective or neon strips.

BASEbase: My mom always likes to wear a full-length bra top underneath. I get too hot, and a regular sports bra is all I need/want. Again, this comes with lots of trial and error.

Hat vs. Headband: Personal preference. For me, this completely depends on the actual temperature outside. I’m sure you remember your mom nagging you on your way to the bus stop to “Wear your hat!” and her motherly concern came with good reason – heat escapes through your head (heat rises), and chances are if your head is cold, the rest of you will be too.

Gloves vs. Mittens vs. Both vs. “What do you mean you’re not supposed to put ice fishing hand warmers next to your skin?” : OK.. so the mittens I’m holding up in this picture are actually SKI MITTENS, and yes, at times that’s what I resort to! The most common question I got was “how do I keep my hands warm?” and truthfully, that’s something I’m still playing around with to figure out! I don’t care how expensive or how “weather proof” your fancy shmancy gloves are, but for ME, they’re not gonna work. I have tried out so many pairs of gloves from specialty running stores where they told me “these are the warmest we have!” and ended up returning them because my fingers froze into ice cubes. I’ve also done double layering, and that didn’t work for me either. My best solution so far is either hard core mittens as seen above, or gloves with a pair of mittens over the top! Sorry I can’t be a huge help with this one.. it’s a lot of trial and error. And NO, you are not supposed to put those hand warmers next to your skin.. Oops!. :/

Gator: like a scarf, only connected and lovely. I also have a balaclava, which makes me look like I’m about to go rob a bank, but man is it warm! One or the other will do for sure, but I like having both for varying temperatures!

TRACTION

Yak Trax. More specifically, Yak Trax Pros – the model made for more than just walking. They are basically what looks like a rubber bear trap with steel metal coils around the rubber that strap on your shoes. The coils help prevent slippage on ice, but also just give you more confidence in your footing on compact snow. Good stuff I say. They’re all I have used to help with traction, so I can’t give reviews on any of the other products out there.

MOTIVATION

Please refer to prerequisites of the course.

VISIBILITY

This is something I hadn’t initially thought of including, but I just finished my last Runner’s World issue today and there was a key article on Running Safety. With the skies getting dark around FIVE this time of year, more runners are out after dark, and I think visibility is a super important issue to address. The article isn’t just about visibility – they also talk about rules of the road, which are equally important when sidewalks aren’t shoveled and you have to resort to the streets! Without wanting to summarize the whole article, I will just link you to it! Runner’s World: Collision Course. Here are a few of my favorites for winter visibility:

Asics reflective bands: Can go around your ankle. Your wrist. Your upper arm. Wherever you put them, make sure it is in a place that is visible, and preferably, a place that MOVES. I wear them up around my biceps because you swing your arm when you move, and a driver is a lot more likely to pay attention a glowing yellow band that’s bobbing back and forth than one that’s stationary. If you only have ONE (though why would you do such a silly thing) the best spot is your upper right arm because that is what would be closest to traffic (assuming you’re on the “right” side of the road, opposing traffic flow).

Brooks Nightlife Jacket: Breathable. Fitted perfectly. NEON. LOVE is an understatement for how I feel about Brooks clothing! It’s close in intensity as my love affair with Asics shoes.

Black Diamond head light: Let me tell you something kids – there are “headlamps”, and then there are headlamps. The first one I bought was a Fuel Belt head light. I’m not saying anything against the company at all, but that headlamp did about as good of a job lighting up my path as I could have done on my own, running in shorts and lighting up the ground with my so sad white legs. This was a type of headlight made so runners/other people can SEE YOU, but it was not made to light up the path ahead. No offense amigos, but I think you guys should stick to hydration options. Luckily the running store I bought it at took it back no prob. Luckier still, my friend had an extra headlamp lying around that he passed on to me – what a guy. It’s a Black Diamond like the one above, minus the camo, and it does just what I need! Visibility. For me. For you. For playing in my closet like Bob the Builder. It works. A good headlamp can run you anywhere between $30-$80, but it’s a good investment.

ETC…

Just a couple of accessory tips – before heading out, feel free to “warm up” inside. Run up and down your stairs a few times… get the blood pumpkin, and it might not seem so bad thinking about heading outside. Also, if you roll like that, feel free to hit the treadmill. I actually have a good fellow Twin Cities bloggy friend who will be stopping by to tell you how she is the treadmill master. And finally, a disclaimer – most of the advice I dished out today is for COLD weather. Like cold cold. Never in a million years would I wear two pairs of pants, ski mittens, a gator, and “under armor” if it was only 20 degrees. If anyone takes my advice and gets TOO HOT, or god forbid wasn’t warm enough, sorry homes… like I said – trial and error!

Wow.. so didn’t I say “without writing you a novel”…? Myyyy bad. Hopefully you found some/all of this helpful, and will think twice before dashing off to the gym instead of hitting the great outdoors for your run! Plus, there’s the B.A.M.F. factor here – you will feel so much more hard-core when you come back and say, “yeah, I ran in that!” I know there’s a little bamf hidden in you.. you just need to dig it out!

And speaking of OUT, that’s me! I have a running store to visit and items to buy (sorry mom, you’ll have to wait till Christmas)! Adios muchachos.
-E