Saturday, January 14, 2012

ice, ice baby

Right!  need more sequins...
Well, I went on my freeeeeeeezing cold run this morning!  Thanks to some advice from Maggie over at Run for Pi(e)  I decide to go for the "layering" approach.  Maggie is part of a running group, so she fears no weather, and is significantly more bad ass than myself.  So here are the layers i laid out the night before:


SO, this includes:
1 pair of compression socks
1 pair of soccer knee high socks
1 pair of thermal running tights
1 pair of cropped sweat pants
1 drifit tank top
2 drifit long sleeve shirts
1 Super thick hoodie
2 pairs of cotton gloves
1 plaid scarf
1 head band (wide enough to cover ears)
1 drifit knit hat.


Oh, and shoes.  I wore my shoes.


I'm not gonna lie, i might have over done it a little bit, but to be perfectly honest, i took off one pair of gloves a couple miles into the run, and while i felt heavy from all the clothes, i never felt uncomfortably warm.  I definitely was teased by my group though, mostly because i looked so comical, dressed up like   the kid from a christmas story.
laugh all you want, but at least i'm not cold...
I looked very much like a first time runner, but hey - winter running clothes are expensive.  Everyone was super nice though, making recommendations on where to get good deals, what type of gloves to get, etc.  I like the 10:30 group!


I have no idea what the actual temp was throughout the run, but the "feels like" temp right now is about 8 degrees.  I might have looked like a super nerd, but i FEEL like a total badass.  It makes me think that if i can run in THAT, I can do just about anything.  


Throughout the course of the run, my main concern was falling on my ass.  The path was surprisingly maintained, but there were still a lot of slick spots.  I was running with a very short, bouncy stride to try and avoid face-planting (it looked like i was playing the "don't step on the lava" game with myself.)  I also got quite the core workout trying to keep myself balanced on all that ice and snow!  We had a water station set up at mile 3/5 (man, what an awesome volunteer to stand out there!!!) and the cups of water had actually all froze over, so we had to break through the ice layer to get any water!  Kind of a funny reminder that it was freaking cold out!


***despite the fact that it was cold enough for me to wear every article of clothing i own, there was a man who ran by wearing a t-shirt and short shorts.  SERIOUSLY???  I couldn't see very well through the scarf covering my face, but i think he was laughing at me.  show off.


I survived, and it wasn't nearly as bad as i imagined it being!  Now i am enjoying a hot cup of coffee (with a nip of whiskey in it, per princess kelsey's recommendation) and watching the live blogging of the marathon trials in houston!  Go Ryan!  Go Shalane!  Go Kara!  Go Meb!  Move your booties folks, because i am a nut for the summer olympics!!


OH.  now i get why people were laughing at me.....

13 comments:

  1. You look like you belong on a runway, what are you talking about?
    :) I'm glad you did not face plant on any icy spots, that would be my fear too! Quick question about running with other people...did you continuously run the entire time, or do they ever slow down to walk for a second?

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    1. That was my concern! we stop for water every 1.5 miles (ish) usually for a minute or two. Its a very relaxed pace, a lot of talking and joking. It's only week two, but i would recommend it! :)

      **even last summer when i "formed my own running group" (aka, tagged along with some people) we would stop every 2 miles to drink and walk for a minute - it helps break up the distance.

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  3. awesome job! and this is just the post that i needed this morning as i sit here sipping tea...

    lake front path, here i come. i can only hope to look as good as you. i won't complain bc it's at least 10 degrees warmer now than when you were out there.

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    1. have a gr8 run! i'll cheer you on from instead under all my blankets!

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    2. good luck and be careful! and if possible, try to dress better than me :D

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    3. weather wise, it really wasn't so bad at all! HOWEVER I could barely maintain an 11 min pace bc my legs, ass... ok my entire body was crippled from a free personal training session the night before. i am weak. it's embarrassing, he had to keep giving lighter weights than he anticipated.

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  4. o m g i am so impressed. this morning my first thought when i saw snow and that it was 7 degrees outside was 'DID GINGERFOXX GO???" you go girl, seriously. totes jeal.

    and for the record i think you look absolutely f-l-y.

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    1. I've realized it's the Chicago way. 100 degrees? you run. 0 degrees? you run. rain, snow, wind, tornado, earthquake, fire, apocalypse? you run.

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  5. Nice! Glad you feel badass now :) Isn't it great? And once you're out there, it isn't as bad as you think it will be. Unless it's really windy. Then, yeah, it is as bad.

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    1. Yeah, everyone told me they would rather have "cold" then "windy" because of the face burn that occurs! I am definitely now a believer in winter running!

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  6. HOLD UP is that a UIC hooded sweatshirt? I went there too and have the exact same sweatshirt! Go Flames and congrats on an awesome winter run!!

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