This week was a change for runners with the Arctic cold front dropping temperatures below freezing. For many runners, the cold weather was a welcome change. When the afternoon temperatures ranged in the 40+ degree weather it made an almost perfect temperature to run. The body heat generated by exercise, especially running, finds cooler temperatures the ideal conditions to run. Most runners will put on a long sleeve tee shirt, a cap of some type, and a few might like a pair of cloth gloves to cover the hands. The one recommendation is to wear a covering on the head. It is amazing how much heat is lost through the head.
If a runner starts out warm as they head out the door with a heavy sweatshirt or jacket, they will be trying to find a way to cool down after about one mile into the run. After that first mile, the sweatshirt or jacket is tied around the waist. I have seen a few runners run without a shirt or a tank top on those cold mornings. It is a cold start, but after a short time the body temperature will make the run comfortable. The problem with minimal warm clothes in a race situation is the time between when the runners are called to the starting line and the actual gun sound to start the race is often too long for comfort. This is especially true at a race with a large number of runners. At the Dallas White Rock Marathon, the starting temperature was in the mid-30’s. I had a short-sleeved tee shirt, running shorts, a wool knit cap and a pair of garden gloves for my outfit. Many of the runners were wearing jackets, sweatshirts and warm caps on their heads. It was a little uncomfortable standing around waiting for the starting gun, but as long as I kept moving around, it was okay. The point of mentioning this difference in clothing amongst the runners is that the one thing that I remember most about the race was that between the three and six mile mark the side of the road was covered with warm clothes. Some of the remains looked like some high dollar running outfits. At most big races, this is a common occurrence. The race organizers usually have a crew following the pack of runners picking up the discarded clothes to take to the finish line. Runners will head to the recovery table and describe the jacket that they dropped off and hope that the crew member can find it in the pile of clothes. I had this happen at one of my Better Half Marathon races that had a cold starting gun. We had the dropped clothes behind a table for runners to claim. About the only clothes left after it was all over were very old sweatshirts and ragged jackets that the runners didn’t claim.
Running in the cold temperatures last week was almost perfect for most runners. The one rainy day was an exception. A rain suit was recommended as running with wet clothes on a cold day can lead to hypothermia where the lowered core temperature of the body can cause problems. Between wearing wet clothes and having the wind blow the wind chill temperature feels much colder.
When the temperature drops down into the single digit range or below zero, the need to stay warm requires some extra clothes. I was visiting my parents in North Dakota one Christmas, and the temperature was about 10 degrees below zero. This was my chance to add that one different run to my running log. I wore some long johns under my running suit, had some warm gloves and a wool cap on my head when I went out the door. It is recommended that you wear a mask across your mouth and nose as heavy breathing of sub-zero air can cause some harm to the lung tissue. The mask had a slit opening for the exhaled air and would warm the air that was being inhaled. I got used to the mask, but on several occasions, had to pull the mask down and get a few big breaths. The other problem was the depth of the snow, and in some places, the ice under the snow made for unsure footing. I was a little surprised that my feet did not get cold from running in over ankle-deep snow. I only ran that one sub-zero day, but as a runner, I just had to experience it. There is a marathon race in Antarctica where the entire race is under those conditions. It takes a very hardy and dedicated runner to enter that race.
I still saw a lot of walkers out on those cold days. Walking with a light jacket and maybe some long pants is a comfortable outfit for walking. Walking does build up some body heat the same as running but just not as much. A jacket feels good to walk in. I recommend that you welcome the cold temperatures, and go for a run.
