Wednesday, January 6, 2010

It's Cold Out There!!

Not sure what's been going on with the DC weather the past few weeks, but after getting dumped with 2 feet of snow the weekend before Christmas the temps have plummeted!  Sure, folks running in sub-zero parts of the country can laugh at me, but 25 degrees with 20-40mph wind virtually EVERY day for the past two weeks hasn't been much fun at all!

So how does one cope when faced with nasty cold this time of year?  First off, it helps to have a college team playing in a Bowl game. There's no better reason to gather in front of the nice warm glow of a big screen TV and root on your team. Here I am w/ my father in-law Paul (who you may recall from my arctic UltraCentric Super-Crew) cheering on the Cornhuskers to a 33-0 win over Arizona in the Holiday Bowl last week.

Lizzy's family has been nice enough to adopt me into the Nebraska clan, and I've loved rooting for them the past couple years.  For those of you NFL fans out there, you better hope your team is lucky enough to avoid having to face "Mr. Suh" on their schedule for the next decade or so. That dude is a force!

Also a force, but completely unrelated to football: This Margaritaville "frozen concoction maker" - Yet another way to keep warm this winter. Elizabeth approves!


Another way to keep warm is to curl up with a good book. One that helps you think about a run you're planning later in the year works wonders for helping you forget the fact that you know the freezing temperature of Perpetuem in a Camelbak. This new illustrated book about the Vermont Long Trail is full of amazingly beautiful photos dating all the way back to the founding years of the trail. The story of the soon-to-be 100 year old trail's history is also pretty interesting, but the photos are what make it worth the read. Observing the evolution of everyone's hiking equipment is pretty funny too...to think people used to hike the entire 272 miles with a peach basket strapped to their back containing all their canned food. Never again will I think I'm tough when out on a trail!

My final way to avoid the cold, unfortunately, leads me to the treadmill in the gym. I only use this as a last resort, but when I run out of tights and hats and really don't feel like doing the laundry, it's the only option. During our little December blizzard a couple weeks ago I was stuck on the ol' hampster wheel for a 30 miler (not recommended unless you have the margarita machine to come home to), and since then I've gone back a few times to knock out a daily run or two. Last night I actually figured out that running 6:30s feels better than running 8:30s on the stupid thing....but then again, maybe I only thought that because it meant I was able to get off the thing 20 minutes earlier.  Either way, I don't like Mr. 'Mill, but I am happy to have him around when Mother Nature acts up like this.

Anyone else have any cold weather diversions to recommend? ...and no, folks from Florida are not allowed to suggest "wearing a long sleeve shirt to dinner on the beach".   Here's what the beach is supposed to look like in the winter (view from my parent's house on Cape Cod):


Stay warm out there, people!!

11 comments:

TonyP said...

It has been @%@%$%@#$ cold lately! But, wait, I'm going to Disney this weekend with the family to run the 1/2 and full marathon, and it is sure to be warm there, right? NO! $%@#$@#% cold there too - lows of 20s and 30s this weekend! Are you kidding me?

Nice blowout win for the Huskers.

Other cold weather diversions/methods to keep warm - scotch, and lots of it!

sc said...

I think we've been pretty fortunate in Boston with the windchill staying out of the red ... I guess that's something, right? When feeling cold, just check the temps in Ft McMurray, Alberta.

Thirty miles on the TM. Of all the running accomplishments you've had, that's by far the sickest!

Tony: Have a great Disney marathon. Tammy will be there too, I think!

Dan Rose said...

Tony...and to think I was cursing you and your fellow Disney double runners for getting to escape to the sun of Florida. I take it all back. Just remember, if your ears start turning black like Mickey's, it's probably frostbite and you should get to a doctor right away!

...and I'm more of a bourbon man myself. The bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed Paul gave me for X-mas has been warming me quite nicely during this cold snap.

Shane, You're right to bring up our poor neighbors to the north. That puts this all in perspective. Do they even sell normal running shoes up there, or do they all come with the screws already inserted in the bottoms?

nmp said...

30 miles on the mill - that's some dedication. Looks like you'll be ready for France!

Jamie Donaldson said...

Hey Dan! I did 30 miles on my treadmill before, but mine is so old it old goes to 99.99 minutes and shuts off so I have to start it up again. Apparently it thinks that is long enough!

My favorite way to stay warm is the SAUNA! It is never too early to start heat training for BW right?

Love the pics!

Chris Roman said...

Believe it or not we have lows in the 20's in Jax thru Tuesday :(

Sorry Tony, hopefully they will have an early morning bonfire at the Disney corral.

Definitely Bourbon in the Roman household :)

Dan Rose said...

Nick - You bet I'll be ready for France...if the weather calls for a 50 miler on the 'mill, I'll happily take on that challenge if it means scoring higher for The Team across the pond.

Jamie - Have you tried putting your treadmill IN your sauna? If it doesn't fit, how about just putting one of those portable heat lamps in front it while you run? ...actually, I bet you've already tried this since I'm pretty sure your race prep for BW is higher on the level of general insanity than anything the rest of us do!

Chris - Just do me one favor, make sure it's above 40 when I come down for Iron Horse next month. I REALLY want to run it w/out tights!!

nmp said...

Dan, it is great that you are putting forth such an effort in order to perform at your highest potential when representing the US.

By the way, I may come and cheer you and the others on in May. I am going to be in Vienna the first week of May and likely will stay a little longer anyway and may just head over to France...

Jamie Donaldson said...

I wish I had a sauna in my house. My 24-Hour Fitness Gym has a super hot one. I asked them if I could put a treadmill or evena bike in there and they said that was a liability! HA!

Dan Rose said...

Nick - That sounds like a sweet trip you've got planned!...although I think we'll forgive you if you avoid the flatlands of France and spend your vacation time running in the Alps instead. Maybe a little UTMB recon runs for you?

Jamie - That's funny about your gym...reminds me of the time I had the manager of my gym come over and say "legally I have to voice my concern for your safety" when I was nearing the end of a 4 hour Massanutten training session on the Stairmaster a couple years back!

scooping it up said...

i think people have to legally voice their concern for my safety after walking to the end of my driveway and i am panting.

you're a rockstar.