This time of the year the temperature is all over the place, so I thought I would write a bit about exercising and the weather. If you have run very much, you will know that running generates quite a bit of heat and you should dress accordingly. If you are comfortable when you start, you will probably get to warm in a mile or two. As I have been running for many years, I know what I should wear at certain temperatures for my own comfort. If you don’t know, you can write down what you wore for your runs and what the temperature was to start a log that you can refer to in the future.
I find that I run in shorts unless it is below 45 degrees; 45-50 degrees I wear shorts and a lon-sleeved running top (not cotton as that tends to get soaked) and a light pair of gloves; 35 degrees and I’ll add a vest or a t-shirt as another layer; and it has to be below freezing before I need a light jacket. Layers are best as you can remove them as you warm up and put them back on if the wind picks up. Neck warmers are great as they keep you warm and are easy to take on and off.
What about running in the rain? In the summer this is no problem, in fact it might be a welcome relief from the heat. In the winter, it probably means adding one more layer, or a hat. But once you are soaked, you aren’t going to get any wetter !!
The only times I really let the weather stop me from exercising outdoors are when it is thundering or when the roads are icy. It isn’t worth the risk of injury and I’ll just move my work out indoors.
Last few days workouts:
Tuesday-Now that it is light again by 6:15 I was able to do most of my run along the bike path; 7 miles.
Wed.- Ran to the Route 1 overpass near Monroe Street. Ran up it hard 8 times. Ran before and after; 5 miles.
Thurs.- Jogged to the YMCA, 10 minutes stationary bike, 20 minutes ergometer, jog home. No time for weights as I had overslept my alarm by 30 minutes.
Fri.- Jogged up to TC Williams to run on the track. I have been adding speedwork to my routine as I am running a 5k next weekend. I only race 3 or 4 times a year now as it is hard for me to run a race and not want to be competitive. I find that when I do a lot of fast running, I am more likely to get injured. Today I did 2 x ¼ mile, 2 x ½ mile, another ¼ mile-jogging in between–total 6 miles.
Sat.- Ran to meet Marilyn in Old Town; 10 miles.
Sun.- My husband and I took our kayaks to the Occoquan reservoir and paddled for 2 hours. Short bike ride to do some errands.
