Cold Acclimation

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Terrific Tuesday Workouts

- 30 minutes of weight training in the garage while watching Agents of Shield...I'm in the endish of Season 2 and I gotta say that I sure liked the team better in Season 1.  Coulson is so weird now and I'm confused...

- 2.25 mile run in the nice cool 25 degree air.  There was very little wind and a nice covering of frost on the ground, kind of pretty!

This mornings' run in the cold made me realize that I might actually be somewhat cold-acclimated!  I have been a runner for 10 years and I think this is the first winter that I have seriously committed to acclimating to the cold.  

Just like anything that ends up being good for me, the cold acclimation is somewhat out of necessity.  My treadmill is in the basement and our 17 year old son's room is right next to it.  Have you ever tried to sleep while someone is pounding the belt on a treadmill right next to your room?  Not easy.  And...with our relationship not exactly being wonderful right now, I decided to try to run outside unless it's snowy or icy out.

It's paid off - but not without it's annoyances.  In 20's degrees, I usually wear a t-shirt, a long sleeve and a windproof jacket.  On the lower half, I go with tights and sometimes yoga pants over the top if there's wind or if the real feel is teens.  I found a pair of fleece lined undershorts at the Lincoln Running Company yesterday for $10, so those go on too.

All those layers are great - until they need to come off.  Peeling layer after layer of sweat soaked, cold, textile off your warm-on-the-inside cold-on-the-outside, middle aged, slightly squishy, good lord why is spandex so tight, body can qualify for exercise in itself!!  And it's just gross.

Those perils aside, I've noticed that my last two cold weather runs had me thinking "hmm, this isn't too bad!" which makes me think that I'm making progress in the cold.  I don't really pay attention to my pace while wearing all those layers - can't really get to my Garmin - but during this "base building" phase, who cares how fast I run? 

Do you run, walk or bike in the cold?  How cold is your limit?  I think my limit will probably be single digits - or if the wind make the real feel single digits.  

We've had a very mild winter so far - here's to more of that!

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