Frosty Run

Frozen Solidtoday, this morning's run was a really good one, but I felt slow.  I actually like this frigid weather.  Not so much the dark mornings, so I need to stick to the highways around my place to keep well-lit.

As long as I have extra, er, insulation 'down there' as I tend to feel the chill there first, I like getting out into such cold weather, especially when it snows.  I think because parto f me feels so hard core!

It is miserable to have wind against you though!

I feel that I am thoroughly prepared this winter for cold though.  What about you?  What are your must haves in cold weather to make things more bearable?  Share and I will probably think about getting that item.  Has anyone used hot paws or a toque with ear buds in them?  Electric socks?  What are the ultimate trend in stock stuffers for the runner this year?

Things I need for cold weather:

• toque/beany
• gloves
• wind resistant pants/underwear
• highly visible breaker
• thermal long sleeved shirt that wicks
• hot shower afterwards
• a dream of a future hot tub
  

Geared Up for Winter

2nd Winterfor me in running. Well, second and a half.  I began back in the January of 2008.  That makes two years of serious running.  My body has changed, my clothes have changed, but now I am geared up and looking towards a winter of running with all my barriers addressed.  I have just received from Roadrunner sports.com my thermal compression tights.  They are Pearl Izumi Therma Phase Tights. I don't feel the liner inside will be able to keep my nether regions warm enough,  so an extra pair of underwear is necessary, also for support on longer runs.  Why cant they make them more 'brief-like'??  I do feel like a superhero in them!  I am hoping they keep me warm for the really cold weather.

I also have a high-visibility marathon jacket (illumiNITE Marathon Jacket) I have purchased so I don't look like a dark ninja on the road.  Both were affordable and I got a great discount from the site for having a VIP membership, with free shipping!
If you are inclined to stay indoors, there is a site which may interest you :  It is devoted to reviewing treadmills and there are some quizzes to do!  Unfortunately, I cannot afford the space for a treadmill, in my home thus my heading outdoors in the wind and snow.  I have to say, wind is a bigger difficulty than is snow in my books. 

Of Short Shorts and Torrential Rain

Flash Flood! I went on my 10 k today, it was nice weather, overcast, but not too cold. I was trying my new shorts out. Now let me tell you, I ordered these running shorts from an online store. What I knew was they were short. I was not expecting this short though. I bought them because it was them, which showed more leg, or it was compression shorts which showed my bits n pieces. Lesser evil? Well I am not one to be too carried away with how I look, but it is a new game when this type of short is introduced to me. I took one look and laughed. This is new. These shorts are short! The reason for them was simple. Lack of chaffing, freedom of mobility for my long runs. Also these were about $ 20-30 less expensive than compression shorts, so they won out. On e day I'll maybe wear BOTH together and then I'll be done with it. When I'm rich.

So I took off on my run today, new short shorts on, feeling a new found leg freedom. It was actually a great sensation. Like running around in your underwear or something. On my 7th km, a saw a rain storm coming. What i didnt see coming, was the flash HAIL storm, and then buckets of water that would drench me within 1 minute flat, so much so that my shoes became instantly heavy with water. The hail actually stung a bit, and all I could do is laugh. It will become a metaphor in my life. You can't predict the storm, maybe you can somewhat prepare, but all in all, it is just something I need to eventually laugh about. I am thankful I only had 13 more minutes of running after that flash flood to get home. I am also ironically thankful for my new short shorts, which did NOT chaff on my legs, unlike the other shorts I have which would cover more leg and rub me raw. And I might add, I can now say I look officially like a serious runner, and you WILL NOT catch me in the supermarket with these babies on. You just won't , so don't ask.