End of Week 3, or: How to Run in the Cold

It's like when that squirrel had to finally break it off with the foreign exchange chipmunk... sometimes it's just not meant to be, and you wind up driving each other nuts. Weather is like that, too... when it's cold, it should snow. If it's warm, it should rain. It's when weather gets all inter-species curious that we wind up with days like today: 34 degrees (F) and a nasty, windy rain.

Probably would have been better to stay inside drinking cocoa, but I knew if I didn't get outside, and tromp through that course, then I'd be a lump all day. And I was expecting a delivery of freshly cut pine boards for the barn, so get off your ass, Marine...

Running in the Cold, Rule 1. Breathe in through your nose, as the air will be a bit warmer in your lungs. My result? Haha! Breathe through my nose!?! I'm lucky I can gasp enough air through my mouth, nose, and cute little belly button (all at once, this is an impressive sight)... there's no way I could breathe just through the nose without passing out. 

Running in the Cold, Rule 2. Wear gloves to protect exposed skin. My result? Well, I use my iPod as my lap-timing device, and I can't operate it with gloves... so, yeah.

Running in the Cold, Rule 3. Do your warm-up inside. My result? Hmmm, no. I suppose I could warm up on the exercise bike, but I would have to re-adjust it for my size, then put it back to my wife's size...

So, in the end, I breathed though every available orifice, went bare-handed, and did my normal warm-up. And I did survive, obviously, but I tell you what, that first lap of running, my legs felt like concrete! So I think I will at least walk two laps for warm-up in colder weather, and see if that helps.

Lap Times
Loop 1 (walk) : 4:31.8
Loop 2 (jog) : 3:07.8
Loop 3 (walk) : 4:44.3
Loop 4 (jog) : 2:56.5  <-- Personal Best!
Loop 5 (walk) : 4:44.1

Total distance: 2 km, Total time: 20:04.5, Best mile: 15:20.2
Weekly weigh-in: 322 pounds
Average power: 602.9 Watts