I did 4 easy miles last night and am planning on an easy 5 mile run tonight. As long as it isn’t raining.
MOWC - glad you made it through your run in NO yesterday, it sounded a little dicey. I do like how you try to find something positive about every run.
PlantMom - your Disney half sounds very fun. I will be very interested in how you like it. The logistics sound challenging with that really early start time. I hope you will be staying close by so that you don’t have a long drive so early in the morning.
sabaray - I hope you get the weather you want for the race! It sure helps with the mental aspect of the run.
That’s a great article, @abasket. Very timely for some of us!
For those of you who want to participate in the party that is Seawheeze, I just got an email from them letting me know that registration is set for November 16th at 10:00 am PDT. The race itself will be August 12, 2017. No further details other than they will be allowing transfers this year and from comments on the FB page, it seems the race will be remaining in Vancouver. The fact that I got an email means they clearly did not read my survey comments very carefully!
Thanks for the Lulu recommendations but I think I will need to look for warmer items in our double digit below zero winter. Rather than running items I think I might need more of a ski jacket to deal with the cold and wet snow. Did I mention I really dislike the cold? Got 6 miles in on the trails this morning and it was blustery and wet. Wore doubled fleece jackets, a sweatshirt and a tech tee for warmth. I really need a rain resistant topper and shoes/boots.
You are brave to run in Minnesota winters. My fiancée decided it was a good idea to run in Central Park last January during the big snowstorm, and we wore windbreakers over layers, but that’s nothing compared to the cold you experience. Can you wait and run mid-day when it might be a few degrees warmer?
If I recall correctly, I think iDad was a pretty big fan of the Patagonia products in general. They are lightweight, well made and suited for hiking/exercise. They have great customer service as well. You might also check Marmot and Arcteryx - those lines run a bit slimmer and are not my favorite for that reason but they certainly have the technical specs you’re looking for!
Bless you Classof2015! I don’t run! I am a slow walker/hiker. That’s why I need WARM outerwear…I don’t move very quickly but I am out there making an effort!
sabaray…the Patagonia jackets look interesting! Thanks! Will definitely check out the Marmot and Arcteryx. I think I want something long enough to cover my rear.
@NorthMinnesota – I do not have good advice for you personally, because our winter weather here in Portland (OR) is nothing like the weather in Minnesota. What you need is a local-to-you specialist. If you have a local hiking club or a local store that specializes in outdoor gear, you should ask them.
If you are hiking in the winter, warmth and safety are obvious concerns. My daughter is a member of Portland’s Mazamas mountaineering group, and her winter-specific equipment is considerable. Down, wool, waterproof top layers, waterproof boots, etc.
All that said, there’s an enormous amount of new technology in the last few years in terms of both insulation and and waterproofing. I have a warm, very lightweight jacket from Patagonia that is water resistant (not completely waterproof) that is MUCH better than any winter jacket I’ve had before. It wouldn’t be warm enough in Minnesota’s winters, but it’s just one example of what you can get that didn’t exist previously.
When I lived in Chicago for 5 years and started running, it literally used to take me longer to get ready to go out in the winter than it did to do my run! It was before tech fabrics, and I “ran” in my ski parka!
NMinn, look for clothes made for snowshoers. These clothes are designed for movement. Snowboarding clothing is not well suited for walking. Most important parts are the hat and the mittens. I do not recommend gloves.
I have a north face thermoball jacket and also a north face down jacket. I really like the Patagonia nano puffs also. If it’s really cold I put a vest on and then the jacket. I walk all winter in my thermoball.
Hat, gloves and neck warmer. I personally like to wear gloves and put mittens on top. I have a pair that have fingers with the mittens. But lots of times I get warm and pull the mittens off and put them in my pockets.
Hand warmers are great, here you can buy them at every gas station and rite aid. I buy a big package, my sil gets cold feet, she buys the foot ones.
Smartwool socks. These are key, I do not go out without them. My sil has waterproof running shoes that she walks in, I don’t but they would be nice. Brooks and other manufacturers sell them, your local running store will know I’m sure. I think sil got her’s at rei.
The key is to a little bit cold at the beginning. You don’t want to be too warm at first because then you start sweating and cold and wet is not a good combo.
Paging @kmcmom13! @NorthMinnesota needs your suggestion for outdoor wear in the arctic tundra that is Minnesota! Any chance we can get you to make a cameo appearance (or pretty please rejoin us)?
I hope you can keep up the winter walking, NM! When I was in northern Wisconsin last winter, I hiked, walked, and skied. What seemed really helpful for staying warm was a set of long (over the knee) woolen stockings that I wore over my layers of leggings and jeans and regular socks. Footwear was a pair of Ugg boots.
Sabaray - glad to hear that you’ll be racing. Good luck!
Plantmom - Many of friends run in Disney races and love them (although they complain about the pricing). The early start times would not thrill me, but the race has to happen before they open the parks, right?
Never heard of LuLaRoe – I’m not a fan of print leggings. My leggings are so boring – black, black, black, blue, gray, black, black … you get the idea.
I spent the last two days driving – I’m volunteering in a swing state that’s far enough away that it took 2 days to get to. I stopped both days to get in some exercise – walked in a nice waterfront park on the first day, and ran for an hour on the Virginia Capital Trail today. The exercise really helped to break up the drive. I suspect that my eating habits are going to be abysmal in the next 2 weeks, and other than walking, I probably won’t get much other exercise.
I’ve learned that my Fitbit thinks I’m taking steps while I’m driving. I need to take it off, but I keep forgetting. It’s pretty frustrating – there is no way I’m putting in that many steps in a day when I’m driving for 6-8 hours! I definitely need to replace it, but I have to wait until I’ve owned it for at least a year.
Vinyasa yoga today and a short 2.7 mile walk .
I walk outside in winter–I’m in Massachusetts and it does get cold/snowy here, probably not as cold as MN. I second the recommendation for layers. I have a Patagonia Nano Puff jacket that I use for winter walking. I also got some great wool pants by Ibex that I wear when it is really cold (Izzy pants). Smart Wool socks are good too–I order them online. Have a hard time finding my size (big feet) in the stores.
Plantmom–enjoy your race. I have a friend who did the Disney marathon–she loved it.
My Fitbit is making me crazy. Since I started wearing it again, I have been wearing it loosely so the strap won’t cause a rash. Since the strap isn’t tight, I find that it falls off my wrist.
NM, I’m partial to Patagonia’s short hooded down jacket, layered when really frosty, thin gloves under thick mitts that open, long johns under sweatpants, a balaclava if subzero, and NorthFace boots over “diabetic” socks. I was always plenty warm after the first 5 minutes of ascent my mom crocheted me a cowl-style hood of sorts that I use on bitterly windy days.
Sabaray, I’ve been theoretically banned from the hill this year after a bad cipro reaction (turns out I’m one of the rare ones whose tendons are destroyed by the crap) and some serious knee issues and have been restricted to aqua-only physio. This from the orthopedic surgeon. Which leaves me with the ever-boring aquajogging. We’re getting a dome for the pool (ships today we hope) so that I can keep moving aquatically speaking. Not sure the gas bill is going to make any kind of sense come January though and I’ve gone on record with said surgeon I intend to surmount the hill, so to speak, this winter. Big talk from a lame girl
We’ll see how it goes. Haven’t had much time to post as I became a guide on another forum which consumes a bit too much time but will try to check in now and then with a proof-of-life so a big hello and wave to everyone!
Did I mention I really dislike the cold? Got 6 miles in on the trails this morning and it was blustery and wet. Wore doubled fleece jackets, a sweatshirt and a tech tee for warmth. I really need a rain resistant topper and shoes/boots.
