winter running and slight gear review

     Winter is here and I'm training through it.  This past week I had double "more miles than degrees" days.  On Wednesday I ran a little over twenty two miles with the temperature getting no higher than eleven degrees or so.  Of course, the "feels like" temp was negative one.  The following day I ran ten miles after work and the outside temperature was about the same.
     There are other places in the world where the winter weather is much harsher.  Mofos in Alaska have it a lot harder than we do here in the Midwest.  I don't see it as a big deal.  I've been keeping  my routes close to home just in case things turn bad.  I would much rather be on the trails but I've been playing it safe.   I've been running mostly roads in my town in my old pair of trail shoes.  My Altra lone peak 1.5s have more traction that I trust more than my Altra Instinct 1.5 road shoes.(Though I did wear the Instincts today and had only one slip.  So I am starting to trust them more in the ice and snow too.)  I know the road running is going to be hard on the treads of the Lone Peaks but I have a practically new back up pair that have been itching to hit the trails as my main trail shoe.
     Since I'm committed to training through the winter, I've been forced to experiment with layering and functionality.  So far I've been lucky and getting it mostly right.  On the subzero days I wore compression shorts with two layers of running tights and my legs were fine.  Injinji socks with wool socks over those kept my feet plenty warm.  I had a moisture wicking t-shirt, a Mizuno thermal top, and a windbreaker.  I wore an old school ski mask with a buff over the mouthhole to protect my face.  The moisture from my breath caused the buff to freeze so I had to peel it down to my neck.  I was fine without it anyway.  For my hands I wear a base layer that are just a pair of ninety nine cent stretch gloves.  Over these I have a pair of windproof Saucony mitten/gloves.  I always start off the runs with the mittens on then peel them back to regular gloves as my body heats up.  (On milder days I do without the base layer stretch gloves and even run without the gloves after a couple of miles or so.)
    One thing I quickly learned earlier in the winter season is that the water in the tube from my camel back hydration pack freezes rendering it useless.

There is a trick where you can take a sip through the tube and then blow the water back.  I was a total fail at this.  Doing this successfully makes the water slosh in the bladder which is annoying.  Then when the tube froze on my run I was doomed to hear the splish splosh of water that I could have done without for the next twenty miles or so.....Great !!!
    I solved the camel back problem by hydrating all day.  (Probably something I should have been doing anyway.)  And not using the hydration pack at all.  I definitely don't need as much water in the winter as much as I do in the summer.  I don't carry water now unless it's over twelve miles or so.  I know I can still get dehydrated in the winter and that it's still a danger.  So far I've been smart or lucky....maybe lucky.
     My wife found a Salomon advanced skin s-lab 2 belt on sale in the Irunfar.com store that I've been using on long runs (runs of 15 miles or more).  It's probably the most comfortable belt I've worn and it holds two little soft flasks.  (and just to clarify:  I hate hydration belts.)  I've been wearing the belt under my layers which keep the water in the flasks from freezing.  The belt hasn't chaffed me once and it's been pretty awesome on the handful of runs I've used it.  The pockets can hold my house key, nutrition bars (which I still forget to eat during runs) and electrolyte pills (which I also forget to take during long runs).

So back to the cold.  Winter isn't the greatest season to run in.  There is an acclimatization that takes place where you get used to the cold.  It's a tolerance or a hardening that occurs I suppose.  It sucks but so far dressing right and experimenting with layering and ways to store different layer shedding has made all the difference.  So far my only mishap was on last Thursday's run where I only wore one long sleeve shirt under the windbreaker.  Towards the end of the run my elbows were starting to feel cold, then the sensation stopped.
     After my run I stretched a little then hopped into a warm shower.  As soon as the water hit my elbows I experienced a sharp needle like pain in both of them.  I looked at them and they were a dark pinkish beet red color and fucking hurt.  I immediately got them out of the shower stream and put my hands on opposite elbows and just stood there.  My hands soothed them and the pain was subsiding.  "I got fuckin' frostbite on my elbows," I thought.  Dumb ass !!!  After what seemed like forever the pain stopped and when I removed my hands the color returned to normal.  Dodging bullets....and now I wear a long sleeve moisture wicking long sleeve shirt in addition to the Mizuno thermal and a t-shirt. 
     Winter running has it's drawbacks, if you're not careful you can find yourself in a bad situation.  The same can be said for summer running....or just running in general.  All in all the seasons are just one more factor that makes running interesting.
     Do I like winter running?  I have no idea.  Some runs are magical and awesome.  Some are just stupid and I can't wait to have the mileage under my belt.  Sometimes in a run I think I have lost my mind.  Running down the street in the dark with a head lamp on and a reflective vest.  My face covered except for my eyes showing.  Breathing in and out through the frozen fabric of a fleece neck buff.  Ugh.  Oddly enough, I don't really hate it.