Shock^2

Two days after returning from my trip down to Houston, I decided to run outside and test some new wind gear I got for Christmas. Over the previous weeks I had been running outside, but without a good upper body windbreaker, the winter cold was cutting through my clothes. I wore a thin but airtight headwind pant on my legs and three layers on my upper body with my windbreaker as the outer layer. The run was ok at first, but I quickly realized it was colder outside than I had expected. Usually I only run if it is 20 degrees or more outside, since below that my face starts to get red, and the cold begins to seep through the breathable weave of my running shoes. That day it was about 10 degrees with a wind chill around zero. While the windbreakers did thier job admirably, the fact that the wind itself was pushing the material of my wind pants up tight against my bare legs chilled them quickly. It was not a great idea to run without a lining or tights under the thin screen. By the time I was two miles in I could feel my skin going numb. Considering I had just run in 80+ degree weather a few days before, it was definitely a shock to the system back in the other direction. When I finally got home alive, I kept my warm gear on for at least anouther 30 minutes to allow my body to warm up.

A couple days later I tried the same run with tights underneath and an extra layer on top. It was a vast improvement.

A Shock to the System

Over the holidays I was in Houston Texas visiting relatives and being fattened up by great food, beer, and company. This yearly tradition is one that I both love, and loathe: it is so much fun, yet after returning I invariably put on 5 to 10 pounds. Back when I was a wrestler in high school, I had trouble making weight for the whole rest of the season my senior year after the holidays. This year I decided to reduce some of my gorging by forcing myself to order soups and chilis at restaurants, and I also brought my running shoes. I decided to go for around around the perimeter of Rice University, which is about a 3 mile path in something like the shape of superman's "S" symbol. It felt good to be in shorts outside for once, as in Minnesota every run outside during the winter spells wind pants, windbreaker, gloves and a hat. About a mile into the run, the shock of the heat started getting to me a little bit. A mile and a half in, a large shadow started approaching from behind me. The sun was to my rear, so the shadow was probably 20 or 30 feet back; one of my pet peeves while running, one that no one should ever have, especially when they are not a great runner, is that I hate being passed. It doesn't matter who passes, it could be Lance Armstrong on his bike--I just don't like it. So despite being a bit weary and overheated, I picked up the pace for the last half, and staved off being passed by anyone. As I turned off and went back to the car, the thermometer read 81 degrees. 81 degrees in Januray! I had grown used to running in 10-30 degree weather over the past month, so it was definitely a shock to the system. Apparently the temperature was a record for that day. I was sweaty for at least an hour after the run, but I was glad knowing I had started my running year strong, and burned off a little of the raw pecans and crab cakes I had eaten the day before.