Commuting - cold air is hard on the lungs

this morning the temp here was around 15 degrees (-9C). I had my underarmor/tights toasters and gloves going great, and my balaclava was keeping the noggin warm, but the air I was breathing was cold, and after 10 min (25 min commute) my lungs started to hurt. I tried to keep the balaclava up around my nose, but then my glasses fog. I moved it to just under my nose and it will stay there for a bit, but then it gets wet and sags and I'm back to breathing open air. Any of you Canadians (or other cold weather commuters) have any suggestions on keeping the air you breathe warm without fogging the glasses?

The cold air doesn't bother me to much, in fact I kind of like the feeling,so I prefer not to cover my face, that said I do ease up the effort a bit when it gets below -20/25. I do see a bunch of people wearing Balaclavas along with ski goggles, maybe this is your answer.

'Rasher

In thru the nose, out thru the mouth. And spend more time outdoors, you'll get use to it.

Going to -5°F by daybreak tomorrow, we're gonna be playin for all the marbles on this commute.

It takes some getting used to. As 'rasher says, just ease up a bit until you get used to it. I find there's a big difference between 14 and 16 MPH; 14 is easy, pushing over 16 average is (for me) kinda tough, possibly impossible in the winter.

There was a thread on this topic on the Winter Cycling forum not long ago: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=68142&highlight=breathing

I wear a neoprene face mask. It's vented but keeps the air you are breathing warm. It has a fleece neck. It has fleece straps that velcro behind my head and keep my ears warm.

psolar makes a thermal exchanger, there is a insert infront of your mouth that is heated by your exhaled air which in turn warms up your inhaled air...I like it quite a bit.

psolar makes a thermal exchanger, there is a insert infront of your mouth that is heated by your exhaled air which in turn warms up your inhaled air...I like it quite a bit.

Gotta a link for this incredible wonder gadget?? :)

http://www.google.com/search?q=psolar

In through the nose doesn't work for me. I have a hard time getting enough air and even if I do, it's often still cold. Maybe it's because my mother smoked my entire childhood, maybe I'm just a damn pansy.

Whatever the case may be, I have a cheapo neck gaitor that does the trick. Snip the top off some throw away stocking cap and voila, free gaitor! When it's hovering around temps where I may not be entirely comfortable with it on, I'll buckle my lid under it so I can take it up and down at will. When the temperature really drops, I pull it up just under my eyes and over my ears. Put the helmet down on top (with the rear band passing over it if at all possible and buckle the straps over it and it'll hold in place wherever you like, keeping your mouth and face nicely covered.

I have a heat exchanger ski-mask but I only use it when the temperature drops to below 10 degrees F, otherwise it's too warm.
I usually breathe in through the mouth, out through the nose and mouth, my reasoning being that I have tons more surface area, warmth, and moisture in the lining of my mouth and tongue to condition the air for my lungs.

I saw this title and I was gonna whine about how you all are wusses and how I appreciate the refreshing 30 F air now that it's finally cold :) Then I realized that many of you are talking about temperatures well below 20 F.

Apparently I've become a total cold-weather wuss since I moved to Maryland. I'm planning to commute through the winter nonetheless, and will have to check out all these good face mask suggestions.

I may be in the minority here but I like the feeling of cold air rushing into my lungs. Especially that first deep breath. It does almost hurt though. I breathe in through my mouth and out through my nose for the simple reason that my balaclava covers my mouth and not my nose and thus I can somewhat prevent my glasses from fogging when I stop at lights. As someone mentioned earlier there are heat exchangers in some balaclavas. I was going to buy a NorthFace model but it was 70Cdn but I was pretty sure I wouldn't need it. The balaclava I did buy was a NorthFace (it fit my large noggin the best) and I love it. The coldest I have used it in is about -18C or 0F.

The biggest thing I would say is reduce your effort until your body is used to it.

Some people use paper face mask like you find at the hardware store to keep sawdust out;it might keep the cold air out of your mouth. Also, I discovered I have a slight case of "exersise induced asthma. My doctor prescribed an inhaler to use just before I go outside and exersise in the cold.