Monday, January 14, 2013

A Little Ice Can't Stop Us

Friday night I had my office holiday party so I decided to move my long run to Sunday. On Saturday, it was unseasonably warm with temps in the 50s. On Sunday, there was a high in the 30s and snow was expected. Although we didn't get snow, we got rain that turned to ice.

I met up with Maggie and Kate for a 10 mile run at a local trail that I haven't been to in awhile. I was really happy to have the accountability because it was one of those days where it seems much more appealing to stay wrapped up under the covers! Despite the temps and the conditions, we got out there and got it done. When the trail was icy in spots, we ran in the grass. Our splits weren't really consistent since there were some rolling hills, but I always love when the last mile is the fastest! :)

I took half of a Picky Bar at mile 6 with a pretzel and then took another pretzel about a mile later. I took a little more Picky Bar and another pretzel at mile 8.5. My stomach felt good so that was very exciting! I think the mixture and adding in the pretzels was helpful. Do you eat pretzels when you run? Do you think they help settle your stomach too?

Post-Run photo with Kate (left) and Maggie (right)

The worst part of the run, though, was that my hands were always freezing!!!! Despite wearing my favorite gloves from last season.) I brought the little hand warmer packets and one burst in my glove about a 1/2 hour in. I'm now on the lookout for some running mittens. If you have any preferred brands or types, please let me know. With my long arms and long fingers, I need something heavy duty (maybe something even meant for skiing). What do you wear on your hands when you go for a run in the cold?

Overall, it wad a great run with great friends! The F^3 is less than 2 weeks away and I feel ready to PR! :)

10 comments:

  1. My running mittens are actually mittens made for winter climbers and skiers. My thinking is that we are outside for a couple of hours in the extreme cold, so why not get the mittens made for people who are outdoors for several hours? I don't really care that they may not be aerodynamic or cool looking, or you can't buy them in a running store. Above all else is that they keep my hands warm! My current mittens are Patagonia. If it is really cold, I wear glove liners with my mittens. I have been eyeing the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt, or Marmut's Expedition mittens (they are supposedly the warmest, maybe too warm!?).

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  2. I picked up some cheap "ski gloves" from Kohls last winter (or two winters ago). I wear for more than just running - basically they are my "really cold" weather gloves, for running or scraping ice or shoveling snow, etc. They are similar to this: http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-851813/zeroxposur-dragon-stretch-gloves.jsp. Or I'm sure Dicks/Sports Authority will have something that might be a bit more technical. They are a bit bulky, but they are warm!

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  3. Sounds like fun running on the trails even though there was ice. Running with friends is always wonderful.

    I use my north face gloves which seem to keep my fingers warm. I find other "running" type gloves are just not strong enough for the wind and cold here because my fingers become swollen and painful very easy.

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  4. Thanks for this tip! I've come to notice that running gloves are a bit too thin for my liking. Thanks for these brand suggestions!

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  5. I do have a gift certificate for Kohl's... I shall investigate! Thanks for the suggestion.

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  6. Yes, that was my problem on Sunday. My fingers were numb and painful by the end of the run and it took about an hour for them to feel back to normal. That is never a good feeling! I'm now sold on the idea of mountain climbing gloves!

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  7. Nice job with the run! I was a little upset on Saturday bc I wanted to run outside, but the temps dropped drastically within a few hours and I settled for weights at the gym (which was actually on tap for me, anyway).

    When I do the outdoor runs, I use my trusty Nike gloves that my brother gave me a few years ago. They're nice and light but do a decent job at keeping the digits from freezing off...

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  8. Yay for a fun run with your girlies! Happy to hear the Picky Bars are working so well. I had a GU/heartburn issue this weekend (due to lunch, the GU just activated it) and remembered I used to take fig newtons with me! Need to start doing that again! I like pretzels too.

    In the winter I wear two pairs of gloves if my hands get cold - cheapies from Tarjay with something more substantial over ;)

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  9. this looks like so much fun! I wear running gloves in the cold, and keep my hands balled up the first mile or so because my hands are ALWAYS cold!!!

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  10. Running in the cold is definitely more preferable to running in the heat. Believe me I know. I wish I was in the Northern Hemisphere right now. It's summer this side of the Equator and we've been in the middle of a heat wave for over a week now. Temperatures were in the mid to high-90s the whole of last week. Shorts and vests are the order of the day. In winter I always cover up when I run. Hat, compression vest with running vest on top and depending on how cold it is, tights. I also wear thick socks cause my feet get really cold on those chilly winter mornings.

    And by the way, you ladies are looking so so fabulous in you running gear!!! The three of you are proof that running in winter doesn't mean compromising style for warmth. And Kelly, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you have amazing legs girl. Well you know what they say, if you've got it, flaunt it. Hope you ladies had fun out there.

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