Cold Weather Plans

Good evening everyone, I have finally recovered enough from my vertigo to be able to sit up and not spin around the room. Out of all the wacky diseases I have had (scabies, vertigo, hives), this one ranks right up there with the most maddening. You simply cannot do anything when you have vertigo. You still have your appetite, but you can't sit up to eat. You get thirsty, but drinking anything makes you feel like you will puke. The only relief is lying down, as still as you can, even if you're not tired. As you can very well imagine, that is difficult for me. But, I outlasted the virus, I am feeling a thousand times better, and hopefully this will be the last of my ailments for a while.

Getting to the matter at hand, it is forecast to be a whopping minus six degrees all day tomorrow in Parker, with a slight wind from the north. Those are fantastic conditions to run in. Seriously, if you dress appropriately, run with a little bit of caution due to some icy spots, and keep your pace steady, there is nothing to prevent you from training in sub-zero conditions. Scan about halfway down this page for some good tips on dressing for the cold, but remember, dress in layers, two to three layers is needed for training in cold temperatures. Now, this is a family friendly blog, but gentlemen, remember to layer up everywhere, freezing your reproductive organs is muy doloroso. I can speak from experience, unfortunately. Maybe we should buy some of these with CHS T & F logos. (Image safe for work, but slightly disturbing.)

I have always thought on extreme cold days, it was better to be a little overheated than underdressed. Try to get out there for 45-60 minutes. Keep all exposed skin covered up and protected from frostbite. Once you get warmed up, you won't even notice the cold! After you run, when you get back inside, do a push-up pyramid to keep your general strength up. We determined those only take 3-5 minutes to complete, and they will do wonders for your overall fitness if done regularly. As for gymnastics tomorrow, they will be postponed. Coach Tom is postponing all of his classes, so we will make it up later in the year.

I remember a ski race I had in high school that got postponed by the cold. It was in Fairbanks Alaska, and they made us coat any exposed skin with vaseline before we could start. It was gross, but that's a story for another day. It's not vaseline face-coating weather yet, so get out there and get some miles in!

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