Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Lookin' So Fly

Did you know that during the Winter it gets cold in Kansas? Like really cold. Guess who had the day off on Monday? I've been mah-jah-lee slacking, even though I have a brutal half marathon coming up, so I went out for a mah-jah run. Goliath was mah-jah-lee stoked. The first half mile was mah-jah-lee cold. Downhill, wind whipping in my face, numb. It got me thinking, OH MY GOD I'm only going a mile. Well, that, and This is my third winter running.


Now, I know three winters doesn't make me an expert or anything....but three Midwest winters with a husky might. I've compiled a list of my some winter running tips, gear suggestions and hilarious winter running stories. It's going to be a series.

Today, we are going to talk about: Julia's Winter Must Haves
1. First and foremost, VASELINE. It's a life saver. Schmear it everywhere, like cream cheese. I mainly put it on my face to break the wind, and prevent face chapping. I mega-abhor coming home from a run, and having pores the size of moon craters because of wind/cold chap. Not this lady. Vaseline is a useful tool that can also help winterize your shoeskis. Dab a little on mesh areas of shoes to prevent snow, ice and snowmelt from invading. Now you have a foot-snow barrier.

2. Something fleece to cover your ears. I prefer a headband, it's aerodynamic. However, ear muffs, a hat, you hands with gloves on them-would also work, I assume. Personally, I need something that gives me the freedom to have a pony tail, or a braid, the versatility of reversableness and the warmth of fleece.



3. Decent running tights. Here's a shocker: top of line tights are just as good as cheap ones. So you can't afford $100 tights-one of my favorite pair of tights are from Forever 21, meant to be worn under some skanky dress and were $5. Sure Brooks has awesome tights, and I'd love to have a pair-but if I'm only running for 30-40 minutes, my little spandex tights with two seams work just as well.



4. Layers. This is a no brainer, but layers-even ditchable layers are life savers. I like a dry fit base, a cotton tee, and a fleece lined hoodie. There's the ole' 20 degree rule, so I try to stick with that pretty closely. Old Navy right now has these pretty baller hoodies, that have the headphones built into the lining. It's machine washable and eliminates extra baggage, so that's my suggestion.

5. Throw away gloves. Total need. Gloves you can blow your nose into, and toss on the side of the road in a race. They are like a $1 for two pairs at target. Get hip.



Ok, that's it for now for my gear suggestions. Tune in tomorrow for survival tips.

Yesterday Mileage: 5.1
Times: 50:14

5 comments:

Her Posh Palate... said...

You're still my hero! Those tights are awesome... and look how tiny your legs are!

Unknown said...

Love this post! thank you for the list!

Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin said...

I never knew that about Vaseline. What a great tip!

Michelle said...

Just the list I needed! :) What are your thoughts about Yak Tracks?

Becky said...

Vaseline is my new favorite thing during cold runs. Who knew it was so awesome!?

I plan on going to Target today to get some more gloves. Mine are pretty nasty since they've been used/washed so many times now.

Thank you for doing this series! I live in Central Illinois and the winters here can be pretty brutal as well!