A freezing run...

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I knew the temperature was hovering near single digits as I pulled into the Metropark and headed for the bathroom to change into my running gear. With the chill factor, it was probably in the negative numbers and I really needed to give this some consideration.

If you don’t know by now, I do one thing as good as…and maybe better than…anyone on the planet. I sweat buckets. Even in this cold…I sweat big. I hate wearing a hat over my bald head because it gets saturated in sweat, is uncomfortable, and then stinks like hell as it dries in the back seat of my car after runs. I go with a head band instead, that covers my ears and normally take that off shortly into the run. This day, I had brought along a heavy pair of socks…for my hands…and was going to wear a long and a short-sleeved t-shirt. Additionally, I was wearing my gortex pants I use as rain gear when camping.

There’s a saying about exercising in the cold…if you’re comfortable when you start – you’re probably overdressed. I was comfortable as I started jogging.

The bridle trails are actually getting a decent pack to them. Enough hikers and skiers have been on them to groove a trail about 12 inches wide…or just enough for me to run. I stuck with the bridle early on, but when I cut onto one of the many hiking trails, I found the pack was not nearly so good. Still, it was passable and the slipping accompanying most steps was making the workout all the more intense. I spent the next thirty minutes doing just that and the sweat was pouring from my face…which I wiped with the stockinged (another word for socks on your hands) hands. I had even taken the head band off and was wondering why I wasn’t cold at all…until I turned into the wind. In short order, the head band was back on and I was wishing I’d worn a wind breaker. I could feel the ice forming on my nose and ears and the collar of my t-shirt…and it was rather unpleasant. Fortunately, I had only about 10 minutes of running left, which I survived with a minimal amount of complaining.

It was a great workout and I managed a 46-minute run…my longest in a while. I seem to be healthy, too. Tomorrow…John should be joining me for a hike and I’m planning on covering the entire marsh. I’ll tie a rope around his waist…send him ahead…and make sure the ice is secure. We’ll see how it goes…

Run duration: 46 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 775.