Terrapin Ben

Well, i know i'm 14 days premature... but... HOORAY FOR WINTER!!!!!! Two points of interest (one bicycle related):

This past sunday i ran a half marathon to keep in shape for the off season. Because of inclimate weather conditions (bitter cold and nasty wind) they turned the half marathon into a ten mile run. I got nineth and ran it in one hour seven minutes and one second. If youd on't mind i think i will pat myself on the back and say not too bad for not training for the past month. Now here's the fun part. it was an out and back race with four turns. REALLY exciting. But the air temp was 16 degrees f and the wind chill made it -10. So the first five miles were super fast. I had ht ewind at my back and was running 6:20s i think. The last five miles were all with a 25mph head wind. Awesome. I think my final mile was around eight and a half minutes. Another positive, i did not get passed bya single person! Anways this was definitely the coldest race i have ever competed in.

Now for the bike related stuff. I continued my unblemished record of comuting to work by bike this morning. Put some longjohns on under my jeans, wore a thermal top under a flannel under a fleece under a down jacket. Wore some nice Kinco's model #1927KW gloves, a beanie under my helmet, and a face mask. Air temp was -2f. Don't know what the wind chill was, but boy it howled! Thankfully, my commute is a quick 12 minutes. And i herad it's not supposed to be as cold tomorrow!

Stay warm out there sports fans!

dminor 

Wow! Way to go, Ben - - you smoked that! Way-fast for that cold too.

We had that wind howlin' out of BC/Alberta yesterday too. I was out bucking up trees and splitting wood in that. Brrrr! Good news is the woodshed is full and we're FINALLY ready for winter . . . not a minute too soon.

Stay warm over there. And quit sending your weather our way.

Terrapin Ben

Thanks for the kind words Doug. And for all you amature weather freaks out there....

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...d.php?t=112467

Enjoy!

craigcraigcraig

wow i would have quit before I had a chance to walk out my door. A couple days ago it was a VERY chilly 28 at night. And it snowed in Texas. That time for the 10 mile run is very impressive, and continuing to commute is even better! Coldest weather i have ever been in is -16 in the mountains of new mexico to go skiing. I would never run in that so good on ya!

4evrplan

Yeah, huge kudos on the 10mi. I'm not a runner, but it sounds like a good time to me, and getting out in the cold takes drive. I'm a Texan, too, and I once skiied in a wind chill of -30 in Winter Park. It was nuts; we'd go into the shop at the summit and get hot chocolate as soon as we stepped off the lift. Then we'd ski half way down and warm up again in a restroom under the hand dryer.

M_S

Right on Ben. Are you around this spring? We should get more rides in. I mean, when it isn't 5 degrees outside.

sscyco

Damn it! I finally settled on not riding to work in the morning - then I saw this post. Getting the gear out now - forecast is -4 F.

Terrapin Ben

You won't regret it sscyco. too make sure you won't regret it, make sure to wear a face mask. or a scarf. or just something warm to cover up your nose and stuff. good luck man!

Terrapin Ben

-8 on the commute this morning. Supposed to warm up a bit tomorrow. BOO YA!!!!

mcoine

Jeans? Riding in jeans is bad enough, but youre riding in those temps in jeans? Thats just silly.

Its 13F right now and my bike is staying in the garage.

Zephyr11

Nice! Very respectable time, especially with a headwind. Did they tell you it was being shortened prior to the race? Or did they just stop you with 5K to go? Because the latter would just be mean. Though I did a pretty bad job of pacing my last half, and probably would have welcomed it...

The best part about running is you stay fairly warm, or at least warmer than you would on a bike. I've done -20 degrees F runs with wind in the past, but cold weather turns me into a wuss on the bike.

sscyco

It was -4 at my house when I left but the news said -8. I over dressed a bit - I was pretty warm. Once the temps hit the teens the face mask goes on - once it hits single digits the ski goggles go on.

rnorris

[QUOTE]The best part about running is you stay fairly warm, or at least warmer than you would on a bike. I've done -20 degrees F runs with wind in the past, but cold weather turns me into a wuss on the bike[/QUOTE

Isn't that the truth! I actually get more running mileage in the winter than in the summer.
Nice Job, Ben! An hour and 7 min. for 10 miles rocks!

Trail conditions here in the Pacific Northwest have temporarily gone firm and fast, thanks to a rare and long freeze. Love smashing through ice in the frozen mudholes.

Terrapin Ben

While i do run a lot more in the winter and spring than i bike, i can't wait for a little bit of snow. I try to XC ski every day and then get the snowboard out on the weekends! Looks like those living near Tahoe or in the Centennial State will be having a fun weekend. Talk about a sweet storm!

dminor 

Alright you guys - - you shamed me into it. Lunchtime temp was 11° F and I was not going to go run today. Traded my wind pants for my XC ski pants, zipped my fleece all the way up and got out there. Did one of my short (3.36 mi.) out-and-backs, figuring if it got too miserable, it'd be easier to bail and just head back. I wasn't even going to wear the watch today, figuring just making it out was enough but changed my mind at the last minute. Shortened my stride some and kept a brisk pace (just to keep warm) and dang! - - turned 7:40s. Who woulda thunk it.

Terrapin Ben

Way to go Doug!!! Getting outside and committing is the hardest part. After that, nothing else to do but get it done.

dminor 

Well, we got a heat wave today - - a downright tropical 18° F at lunchtime. So I hit the road on my short out-and-back again and it was evident that it wasn't quite so cold: 7:31 pace today. Only my face got cold.