Can I just say something about winter running?
It's very hard. And very discouraging.
That's not to say I'm giving up! No! But today was my first foray into running in the snow. I was armed with my new Nike Pegasus GTXs, and my feet stayed dry even though I was running in about 3 inches of snow. I was warm in two layers of wicking long-sleeves and one Gap warmest vest. I have some great thin gloves from my dogwalking days which allowed me to keep traction on my stroller handle. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog by my side who Lives. To. Play. in Snow.
The downsides?
My pants. All I have are standard yoga-y pants, and these are toooooo cold. I need something that cuts the breeze to the hoo-ha area. I have a pair of North Face ski pants which aren't super insulated so I may try those. I usually wore them with a pair of sweatpants underneath for dogwalking or snowboarding, so alone they might be perfect for sub-zero runs.
Second, I think I would like to have a different hat or maybe one of those headband ear warmer things. Because my hat kept feeling like it was popping off, probably because of my ponytail and also my ear buds.
Lastly, I kind of expected that a little more traffic would have passed on the trail we use to run. It hadn't. Therefore while my footfalls landed nicely in packed snow for the most part, pushing the Chariot through 3 inches of wet snow on either side of the existing rut was HARD. So so so hard. So in one week (granted it was a week I spent with a cold) I went from running a tough 5k/35 minutes to an excruciating 12.5 minutes (I forgot my Garmin, so not sure how far we got, but probably.... not that far). Everything hurt - my shoulders, my triceps, my quads, my butt.
So, we have a few kinks to work out, and I'm a bit discouraged that I'm basically starting my Couch to 5K program from the beginning to help myself wean into snow running, but we're gonna do it! Especially since our new house has a horse and pedestrian path right behind it that will be perfect for runs through the woods!
2 comments:
First of all - good for you for getting out there! And with a stroller to boot! I don't run with a stroller. Ever.
My suggestion if you are going to continue to run on snow (packed or other wise) is to invest in the ski attachment for the chariot. It will make your life a whole lot easier!
In my DREAMS we could get the ski attachment! I really don't think at this point I could convince Eric we need it. Especially with its steep price tag. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could get the ski attachment and harness it to Tess? I could still hold the handle to be sure things didn't get crazy, but holy heck running with a self-propelled stroller would be ideal.
Usually the stroller doesn't bother me, but with the snow it's a totally different story. Everything is melted now, thank goodness, so I'm back to trying to get my lungs used to the chill.
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