Subzero temps held Wisconsin in an icy grasp this week. Coincidentally, my half marathon training plan also started this week.
What to do?
Partially inspired by my friend and colleague Keith and his winter biking escapade, and further inspired by my friend Gina and her commitment to running in the frigid temps, I decided to make a go of it myself.
Running in the winter is definitely possible, and in temps of 20s and 30s, it’s almost preferable. That feeling of being overheated running in the summer is alleviated by the chilly winter air, creating a nice balance, as long as one wears the right clothes.
Clothes are definitely the difference in a subzero run as well, I found out – in fact, it’s critical. In subzero temps, your extremities can freeze on even a three-mile run.
So what did I wear on such an endeavor? It looked something like this:
- Coldweather tights and coldweather top
- Running pants over the tights
- cold weather socks with minimal shoes
- cycling jersey
- long-sleeved cycling jersey/jacket
- old winter coat
- ski hat
- two layers of gloves
Within the first 5 minutes I felt my face freeze, instantly wishing I had some sort of facemask. The rest of me was pretty toasty warm, though I could feel Jack Frost nipping at the small amount of skin exposed between my socks and the bottom of my tights (despite being covered by the running pants).
Two things happened as the run progressed: One, those parts I mentioned warmed up, and stayed that way. From running in minimal shoes, even in subzero temps my feet stayed perfectly warm because in the style of running I do they are constantly moving and working. Two, my right hand (not my left, oddly), began to freeze. Toward the end of the run, I retreated my fingers into a fist in the palm of the glove, which seemed to fix the problem.
One has to run carefully, of course – in -8 temperatures, pretty much everything is turned to ice, and that means running more carefully and cautiously than usual.
It turns out, with a little prep, running even in subzero temps is not impossible by any means. Other than warmed gloves, I don’t think I would change much about this outfit on my next run.
There’s something about a victory over mother nature – or maybe it’s more of blending with mother nature – that always feels satisfying.
The Briathlete 