The (Running) Troubles, Part 3

The temperature at 6:30 this morning was, according to KCRG, 11 degrees Fahrenheit. (That’s -11.6 degrees Celsius for those who have been metricated.) Needless to say, the days of regularly running in a t-shirt, shorts, and a single pair of thin WRIGHTSOCKS are over.

Frankly, they have been for about a month. Each week since October, I have added another layer to my running uniform. At first it was much like my seasonal adjustments in California: when it cooled, I wore a long-sleeved shirt over my tee, then swapped it for a heavy Iowa sweatshirt when the temps dipped to a moist and chilly 55-60 degrees. However, that’s tropical compared to the frigid conditions I’ve endure the last three weeks. When the temperatures continued dropping into the 40s I added a stocking hat. Later, when my hands became chilled, I began wearing gloves.

I still wore shorts until three or four weeks ago. After a run one 28 degree morning, I decided to retire them for the season (still technically autumn). I bought a pair of Brooks pants, which, along with special athletic underwear, have served me well. However, it was just another much needed layer. On Friday, when it was 16 degrees, I bundled up: underwear, pants, t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, stocking hat, and gloves. Over my WRIGHTSOCKS I wrote a pair of regular, cotton socks. Today I added a pair of sweatpants over my running pants.

So it’s cold, and I am fine with that. Though I’m chilled at first, especially while walking to my starting point, I warm quickly; after a point I could lift my sweatshirt hood and, possibly, take off my hat. Even my hands warm inside my shitty gloves, but they chill quickly whenever I take them off. (Wearing gloves, I realized, is vital for cold weather running. During the morning of the Iowa-Northwestern game I walked out of the house for a run and forgot my gloves. “I’ll deal with it,” I thought. It was like 40 degrees, so I thought my hands would warm as they had before. However, a stiff breeze pushed the temperature down into the 20s, and my hands froze.) What I am not fine with is the snow and ice.

Last Wednesday I ran while light flurries fell. There was only minor accumulation on the track at Bates Field, so it was no big deal. Friday was the first time I ran on accumulated snow, though there were only small patches in the eighth lane on the home stands side. Today, though, I ran in Little Cedar Rapids and the sidewalks were spotted with leftover patches from last Friday’s snow shower. I ran during lunch to have enough light to see, and I needed it. I picked and chose my footfalls because the packed patches were slick. The soles of my Ghost 3’s have worn smooth quickly, so I needed to be extra careful. I slipped slightly four or five times while pushing off, which was scary shit. However, I did not fall, and ran even with my normal pace.

I have been lucky, but I know I won’t be able to run outside all winter. I would love to, but the sidewalks will be hopelessly packed down and iced over at some point, and I am not going to risk injury for the sake of toughing it out. In past years, while visiting for the holidays, I ran at the UI Rec Building, and that is still an option. But not only does that kill my legs (the constant turning is horrendous for someone used to straightaways), it is also no longer free. I need to become a Rec Services member, which costs $45 a month for alumni. It will likely be worth it over the next couple months, especially with the students gone.