There's a lot going on in my world right now besides triathlon training and I'm just loving it. Nearly six years after building our home we are finally painting our walls. Goodbye Sherwin Williams Dover White! Hello Behr Lion and Cloudy Day (so far). I'm really having a blast testing colors, taping and painting. We even purchased a trundle daybed to replace an old king in one of our spare rooms and it's glorious! It really opens up the room.
I've also been keeping busy wrapping up the final details for our trip to Colorado. Good grief there's a lot to buy just to go and get cold! I'm trying to pick things up that are timeless as I want to be able to utitlize jackets and sweaters/fleeces for many years to come. Being that I live in South FL, wear and tear should not be a problem.
Well, nobody is reading this blog to learn about my home decorating or vacation plans... and technically I'm not supposed to be writing about that stuff here. After all, this is a sport-specific blog. It's just that triathlon training and running have become a bit mundane. I'm heading into my third year of doing this now and it is all starting to feel routine. That's not necessarily a bad thing; in fact it's probably a good thing (I created what is hopefully a lifelong habit). It just doesn't have that 'you light up my life' quality to it anymore.
Still, every now and then I come across something that is blog worthy:
Yesterday, Scott and I were in the middle of a long run on a very windy (VERY windy) and cool Florida day. The temp was around 50F with the windchill making it feel like it was in the 40's. We both had on our typical running attire for this type of weather: shorts, tank and armwarmers. Walking towards us was a woman in her early 70's dressed in a puffy down jacket and hat. She mumbled something as we went by. I had my music pumping so I couldn't hear what she said, but I saw the grimace that she made.
After moving along a few feet to make sure that she was out of ear shot, I turned to Scott and asked him what she said. He smiled and said, "She said that we must be visiting from the North." Ha! I guess she couldn't possibly understand what we were doing out and about in shorts and tank tops in such "COLD" weather.
For the remainder of the run I pondered how those who are truly from the North deal with the winter conditions. How cold does it have to get before running tights go on? I'm ok in shorts down into the low 40's. It has to be in the low 30's before I'll even consider putting on a thermal top, but my thermostat tends to run hot anyway (as we all know). But, what happens when it's 10F out? I've never experienced that. Tights + fleece overtop? Must feel like running in a snowsuit. I want to give winter running a try some day. I want to put screws in my shoes. Seriously though, I'm mostly interested in comparing it to our extreme summer heat and see if affects my body similarly. Maybe I'm a cold weather person inside. Forget a vacation to Colorado; maybe a move is in order in the future.
IN OTHER NEWS
Scott nearly got hit by a car last week in Naples. She pretty much barrelled across four lanes of highway and scared the shyte out of him. She was close enough that he thought she was going to hit him so he slammed on his brakes and dumped his bike. She never even noticed and kept right on driving. He has road rash all over him... again. He is becoming my walking scar. Is it odd that I find this increadibly sexy? Seriously though, I'm glad he's alive. This is why I HATE riding on the roads down here and avoid it as much as I possibly can. I would rather make five 10-mile loops at a public park than risk my life on a Florida highway. Florida outranks all other states in bicycle deaths nationwide, according to the Florida Bicycle Association.
15 comments:
I'm so glad that Scott is okay... and I get excited about painting too. It's on our list, we even have paint purchased and in the garage - getting it done is the bigger challenge!
Yikes!!! I'm so glad Scott is OK!!! How scary.
LOL at the woman's weird weather comment. I consider myself a bit of a California weather wimp these days (I like it nice and toasty, thankyouverymuch) but I still would only run in shorts in that weather - I overheat too easily for more! It's got to be down in the 20s for me to drag out the tights for serious running.
Geez! I'm glad Scott is ok. I too would never ride on FL highways. I've driven down there enough to know that it is crazy!! Is it still true that FL doesn't have yearly mandatory car inspections?
At 10˚F I'm in two layers of tights, two long sleeve dri-fits and a go-lite (windbreaker), fleece hat and mittens, and a thick layer of Aquaphor on my face. That is extreme cold for me.
I've been running in all kinds of cold this winter, I don't mind it. I also will ride outside if it is at least 32˚F with no rain or snow. I would kill for 40˚F!! Would love to have you come back North!
Have fun in Colorado!
Glad Scott is OK... it is snowbird season. As in past year I have found that most of the visitors from up north don't know how to drive and most have never seen a bike lane. It is dangerous in a car let alone a bike. Be careful!
Thanks, just when I was just about to be 12 stepped off my "safe" trail onto the roads to keep safe from falling asleep from boredom, you post this..... back to the trail for me...
Buy Scott some Tegaderm for his road rash. It helps heal it so much quicker than anything else. I use it by the case after MTB crashes.
Wow, glad Scott is OK! I drive around Naples (no, that was not me!) when I visit the parental unit and the drivers there scare me to death.
Winter running: I wear shorts down to 35 and capris down to 20. I'll do tights after that. I have a pair of fleece lined tights for 10degrees or colder. Up top I'll do a tight long sleeve shirt, then a thinker one, followed by a shell. I'm usually cold at first, but I warm up! On crazy cold days I'll throw on my cycling wind-proof jacket but no matter how cold it is, I'll sweat in it.
You guys are having a cold snap, no matter how much us Northerners like to tease you ;-)
Have a great time in Colorado!!! I hope we have nice beautiful weather!!
p.s. What Mike said about Tegaderm is right, it's the best!
This temperature in F just messes me up. I can't think in it anymore. Here in Calgary you really need to think about wind and sun. It might be zero, and feel quite warm if the sun is strong. Also it depends on what the temp has been recently. A few weeks of -40 and people are in shorts and t shirts at zero. All this is for running. Riding on the road in freezing temps makes you a maniac in my books.
For me:
Shorts down to about 2 C (36 F), depending on wind and sun. Probably a long sleeve top.
10 F is -12 C so that's still fairly nice. one pair light tights, two tech shirts, wind jacket, maybe hat, gloves, depending on wind and sun. Maybe add a hoodie if really windy.
About 0 F (-18C) for sure adds a warmer hoodie to the above. Maybe a second pair of tights if it's windy. For sure hat and gloves.
-22 F is -30 C. I start being careful here. Wind becomes critical, and sun doesn't matter much. (Yes it can be brilliantly sunny at -WTF temps.) For sure a second pair of tights. 2 tech shirts, fleece vest and light or heavy hoodie depending on wind, two hats. Maybe a scarf. Maybe a heavier pair of mitts over my light gloves. At this point the vents on the wind breaker are zipped most of the way shut. I'll almost certainly plan my route to avoid wind. And if it's windy enough, I'll bail.
Somewhere about -35 C (31 F), even if there is no wind, I'll probably bail. Just too much risk of freezing to death from even a minor fall.
If you want a girl's perspective on somewhere much colder, follow Jenna or Kelly's links on my blog roll. Or Amber, she lives way north, colder and more snowy.
In all cases its the same pair of running shoes, with one pair of socks. Tried Yaktrax but they mess up my stride. Unless the ice is really polished, I'm fine running on it. I tend to slip more when I walk.
Good lord, you guys are so much tougher than i am! i put the tights on as soon as we go sub 50dF. And it's not that I am not moving fast enough (for me) to warm up, I just don't warm up! I have circulation problems in my feet and hands, so gotta keep the core super warm to prevent them from freezing up on me. And even that does not always work so great, the few times I have braved the cold and ran in the teens I have felt like I was running on ice blocks. On the other hand, I don't seem to mind the heat and humidity as much as other people. Guess I am a warm weather runner at heart, stuck in the north!
Have fun in Colorado! Sounds fun, what are you guys up to?
Any Yay! for getting"Name" back on so I can comment again :)
Sounds like you are keeping yourself pretty busy. There's nothing wrong with that. Glad to hear Scott walked away from what could have been a horrible accident. jeepers.
Thanks for the comments, guys! I've enjoyed reading about how y'all are surviving (suffering?) through this very cold winter. If nothing more, I will be better prepared for whenever I do get to try out some of this extreme winter running. :o)
Scott is doing well. I offered the Tegaderm to him when he fell, but he declined. Actually he hasn't ever used it, where I, on the other hand, love it! Tough guy! I think he likes ugly scabs!
GLAD Scott is doing ok!!!
Tights for this Chicago girl is anything below 40F. But, I have all kinds: Fleece, capris, thin, base layer...etc....If it were a race, I would wear shorts up to 20F.
For my top...just 1 little long sleeved shirt - base layer for 40F or so. 50s, shorts and a tank!
For 30s, I wear a base layer and another tight top...but we are rarely that warm here...so I am always in full gear.
HAPPY PAINTING too!
It has been FREEZING here in Northen Fla! Ugh! Glad that Scott is ok - this is just a guess, but could it have been a crazy snow bird? Oh man - they are all over the place up here and I don't even like to drive around them - much less ride around them!!
Congrats on the new house!!
I too am glad to hear Scott is OK! The number rude and dangerous drivers is crazy. I'm almost surprised nowadays when we don't have at least one close call when we go out riding on weekends.
And this cold winter we've been having has been tough, hasn't it?t The only things keeping me swimming outdoors and cycling are other people. Left on my own, I'd probably only run outdoors in 40-deg weather. Any colder, though, it would have to be a race. I don't know how folks who live in snow country do it!
Ummm, ok, I am seriously in the minority here. I wear light fleece year round. I live in Massachusetts..20 miles west of Boston..and I spent 11 years previous to Boston in Miami so my thin blood never thickened up upon moving up here. I wear runner's wool socks year round. When it is below 40F, I stay indoors on the Elliptical Trainer or the treadmill. Yes...I got wimpy after age 40. LOL.
Glad Scott is ok. He is one tough dude.
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