Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Cold Running

 I am pretty proud of myself for starting and maintaining a running streak in Boise in December. It isn't the worst winter weather month that we have here in Boise. That tends to be January or February in my limited experience. But just because there's not been a whole lot of snow or ice on the ground doesn't mean it was an easy month to run in. 

For example, last Sunday, when I ran 6.4 miles, I was initially quite cold when I went outside. The sun was out, but it is at such an angle that most houses I run by will block its light and meager heat. The real problem was that the wind was gusting. Not only does running into the wind get hard because of the force of the wind itself, but also the chill factor. My current running outfit does well at insulating, but it isn't windproof, and I could feel that on Sunday for sure. 

There was one point when I was over halfway done that I was running through a shady section (that is the best section when it's shady in the summer, but is close to the worst when it's below freezing), and I could see the sunny section ahead. In my mind's eye, I was coming up on a huge section where the buildings were far enough back from the sidewalk that I'd get a chance to warm my bones before braving the next shady section. 

Then I got close enough to actually see the section. 

The sunny part was... shrinking. 

Instead of stretching all the way across the sidewalk, from the little side street I was about to cross all the past the next stoplight, it barely spanned the side street. 

Rolling in from the west and the north were not only clouds, which blocked my precious sunlight, but freezing fog, which made the lack of sun even more acutely felt. 

I had more than a mile left to run, maybe a mile and a half after the sun was completely covered. I so wanted to stop and call my husband and make him come get me in the heated car. But stopping would not help me stay warm. As cold as I was chugging along on my tired and numb jogging legs, I would only get colder if I stopped for any reason. 

So I kept chugging along. I kept moving. And it took a while, but I got those legs home. 

I'm really developing a distaste for running in the cold, but at the same time, I like having done it. A lot. 

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Streak Power Activate

I took my Saturday rest day with glee, pure glee, I tell you. 

And I also used it to rest up for a 6 miles Sunday. 

I wasn't planning on 6 miles, not explicitly. I thought I might make it, and I chose a route that would allow it, but I thought I'd come up short, if only because it was raining on Sunday when I wanted to run. 

See, I didn't want to run too early in the morning, because it's winter. And I prefer to run when it's a bit warmer, around mid-day, instead of first thing in the morning, because I don't like running in the cold. 

I mean, I am running in the cold, but it's not the coldest. 

So, after breakfast omelets, I waited for almost two hours and then decided to get going, right around 11:30. When I saw that it was actively raining, I decided to use my husband's poncho to stay dry-ish. I figured I could do it, as long as I didn't get soaked. 

The poncho is, essentially, like a trash bag with a hood and zippers. It is also way big on me. I didn't enjoy the crinkly sounds with every step and move, but it kept me dry. I couldn't keep the hood up for long, because I started warming up from the exercise. But I kept the poncho as a whole on until the rain let up, just before I hit 3 miles. 

Once I took it off, the poncho was a bit of a pain to carry. I'd had vague thoughts of tucking it into the fanny pack strap, but I wasn't able to do that while running so I just crumpled it into a football-like shape and kept it tucked under one arm or the other as I ran. 

I use the Map My Run app to track my miles. When I get to within a block or so of home, I take the phone out and prepare to stop the tracking function. On this particular day, I saw that my total mileage to that point was 5.96 miles. 

So. Close. To 6 miles. 

I paused the workout because that was what I had intended to do when I pulled it out. But then I resumed it, because there was no way I was going to quit that close to 6 miles. It's been a long time since I ran that far in one go. I had to round it out. 

I ended up a smidge over 6 miles, but I still planned to run at least 2 miles on Tuesday and Thursday. I finished my Tuesday run already, so I've just got one more for the week to meet my goal. I still run slowly, but I'm starting to feel more comfortable in my pace. I hope I can keep this streak going for a good long stretch. I might leave the goal at 10 miles, but I am hoping to expand my range for the long runs, without cutting back on the two short runs each week. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Running and Running

Well, I managed it. I finished off week 2's 10 miles last Saturday with a 2.4 mile run around the neighborhood. And then, on Sunday, I ran 5.8 miles to start my 3rd week off right. And I ran another 2.2 on Tuesday, so all I need to do is 2 miles on Thursday and I will have earned that Saturday rest day. 

Of course, I have been pushing myself pretty hard, so I also decided that today would be a rest day. My knees were feeling wonky after so many burpees and clusters on Tuesday (the workout was 115 of each, but I didn't finish, so I only did 112 burpees and 109 clusters), and I decided that it would be reasonable to skip a CrossFit day. 

After all, I'm still building up my endurance for all that running plus all that CrossFit. It will take some time to readjust. 

Running in the cold is both awful and wonderful. At the start, it's pretty awful. I get out there and I'm quite cold. If the wind hits before I've been running long enough to warm up, then I have to suffer through the buffeting. But once I run enough to heat my body, it gets nice. I don't feel as much pain as the cold numbs me. I keep my buff in chin strap position to keep my ears covered and to allow me to flip it up and over mouth and nose when people are near and down when I want to breathe freely (and there's no one else around). 

I usually encounter a few people on each run, taking walks or walking their dogs. I even see other runners occasionally. I think I'd see more if I went over to the Greenbelt, but I prefer to avoid stoplights on my runs so I don't usually go there.  Plus, I like avoiding the crowds. More time for me to breathe without three layers of buff plastered over my face. 

It seems like every time I'm out running in the cold, I ask myself why I'm doing this crazy thing. During yesterday's run, I thought of it as an investment in myself. I run pretty slowly, but if I can maintain this kind of pace for the next 30 years, then I'll be doing pretty well. Maybe I won't ever get much faster or stronger. Maybe I will. But you keep moving by moving, not by sitting on the couch all day every day. 

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

December Workout Goals

I'm hoping to get some real consistency in this month. I did successfully complete a round of Power Abs in November, but since my diet kind of fell of a cliff mid-month, I didn't really see a difference in my abs. I gained both weight and waist, but I'm moving on. 

So, in addition to doing another round of Power Abs this month, trying to do an increased difficultly level, I'm going to have a formal running goal. Not just running a certain number of times a week, but a distance goal. I want to run 10 miles a week each week this month. Plus, I'm trying to do CrossFit 5 days a week - preferably weekdays since that limits the number of people I am working out with to only people crazy enough to get up in time for a 5 am class. 

Last week, I ran Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I hit the 10 miles on Saturday with less than 4 miles, so that's not too bad. I want to try and expand my Sunday runs so that I can skip Saturdays altogether. Ideally, I'd run 5 to 6 miles on Sunday, then 2 to 2.5 each on Tuesday and Thursday. That leaves Saturday for cleanup if I miss a day, and for rest if I don't. 

So last week was a success, with 10 miles ran, 5 CrossFits attended and all my Power Abs days completed. This week is off to a good start, as I'm up to 5 miles, 3 classes and all my Power Abs. Not a great start, since I was too tired on Sunday to even get 3 miles. But a good start. 

It's a lot of working out, and I've been feeling pretty tired. But I know I'll get used to the amount of work in time. Patience and consistency are my watchwords for the month. 

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Outdoor Research Adrenaline Mask: A Preliminary Review

After months of not buying a mask specifically for exercise, I finally caved in and bought one. My decision was influenced by the receipt of a coupon for REI, so I limited my choices off the bat. The only mask I found on REI's website that specifically was made for sports was the Outdoor Research Adrenaline Sports mask. The reviews on REI's website did not fill me with confidence (only 2, both 1 star as of the time of this writing), so I checked the Outdoor Research website for more reviews. There was enough of a better mix there that I decided to give it a try. 

Even though I have the option of not wearing a mask at my CrossFit box (for now), it does seem like the right thing to do. And I had already tried running with some of the cloth masks that I own, and they had myriad issues from falling off my face to getting so soaked with sweat that I had to breathe through my own sweat to get any air at all. I was hopeful to get a decent fit with adjustable straps, but also cautious because I now know (thanks, covid) that I have a small face. 

So far, I've worn the mask for two CrossFit workouts, with movements including double unders and burpees (both of which involve a lot of moving). Overall, I'm satisfied with it. I was able to complete those workouts without taking the mask off, and that's really what I wanted from this mask, at minimum. 

Pros: 

  • Fit. The mask stays in place! On my face! This might be the most important factor for me. Other masks have slid up or down my face during workouts, especially with dynamic or bouncing movements. With the Adrenaline, I didn't even think about whether it was staying in place, it just did. 
  • Breathable. The mask itself is mesh, and it needs filters in order to be effective. This combination is a bit cumbersome, but the design allows for a good amount of breathability - significantly better than the buff I use for outdoor running and the cloth masks when it comes to being able to breathe HARD through it. 
  • Adjustable. As I mentioned above, I have a small face. I was a little worried that there weren't size options for this mask, but the adjustable loops work. They can be adjusted top or bottom, which really helps me to keep the inner flap out of my nostrils (that was a surprise during the first workout, when I tried to breathe through my nose and got nostrils of cloth instead). 
  • Lanyard. The ear loops have a little hook in back that allow you to fasten them together behind your head. I think this contributes to the staying in place, but it's also a great feature on its own. I've been enjoying pulling down my mask after I step outside and not having to think about where to put it. It just hangs out. 

Cons: 

  • Still a mask. It isn't all good, of course, I'm still CrossFitting in a mask. It is not comfortable. I have moments during the workouts when I want to tear it off and get a full damn breath. But I can feel the fans through it, a bit. I can breathe. 
  • Filters. I don't like that I have to keep a supply of filters on hand for the mask. It comes with three, and they are "replace at your own discretion." So far, they haven't been getting incredibly sweaty from my workouts (amazingly). It seems like the cloth of the mask absorbs most of it while the filter stays dry-ish. I've just been letting them hang all day while the mask gets a post-workout wash. I'm trying to figure out what my replacement rate will need to be, and that rate will definitely influence how much of a con this is. 
  • Price. Yeah, I really didn't want to spent $30 on a mask, any mask. But cheap masks weren't cutting it for workouts.
  • Sweat. I am a sweater. I sweat a lot, pretty much no matter the workout. And one of the weirdest things about this mask was how much I noticed my chin getting sweaty. It was itchy and I couldn't scratch it. I had actually gotten into a pretty good habit of wiping at my chin with my shoulder (don't touch your face!), but I can't do that with this mask. More of an annoyance than anything else, but still.  

One other thing I noticed when wearing the mask yesterday was how hot I got. I wear glasses, because I am super nearsighted without them, but wearing glasses and a mask covers nearly my whole face. Which makes me very hot. I discovered that if I remove my glasses, the heat from the mask became more tolerable. 

Despite the cons, I like it well enough to keep using it. 

You can just barely see the filter snuggled in there.

So fashionable. 

There's the lanyard.