I had my Saucony Omni Progrids in the hallway ready to go. My shorts, Helly Hansen base layer, so-so Montane Marathon jacket, woolly hat and gloves all at the ready to just get out of bed, slide in to them - just like Batman and Robin, or maybe Wallace and Gromit. Did I tell you I have now made the concession of taking a mobile phone with me these days? Mine is small enough to fit into the back pocket on my shorts and to be honest, I'm unaware it's there when I'm running, so no big deal.
Yet again this was another early morning run at dawn (6.30am onwards) when it was misty outside and (by the time I'd up the first hill) extremely photogenic. The mist was low down in the valley and looked a bit like dry ice as trees were growing out of it. Wonderful but without a camera you'll just have to take my word for it.
Strangely my legs felt a bit stiff throughout and I was trying to figure out why this was the case. Okay I haven't been running since last weekend apart from a short jog yesterday. Then I realised. The temperature was just above freezing and cold enough for some frost to be around here and there. Some parked cars looked as if they had ice on them. I am thinking my wearing shorts might have contributed to the stiffness - i.e. my leg muscles were still cold and weren't getting the chance to warm up properly.
Ordinarily I only wear my Ron Hill tracksters if it is really cold i.e. sub zero. I do remember wearing them last winter a few times but I generally ran okay in shorts through much of the winter. Makes me feel like a proper runner and, most of all, I feel more "free" in wearing shorts. Although there are no ill effects from this morning's 6.5 mile run, I am now wondering if it is worth digging the Tracksters out.
Come to think of it, virtually every other runner I see around here is not wearing shorts (but there are only a few people in my town who run in the winter). They all seem to wear black tight thingies, or perhaps three-quarter length tights. I have seen some of those Skins Compression garments in use also.
So there you go. Might need to put my shorts away for some of the winter but certainly not my running shoes!
I always wear shorts,even in winter. I agree with you that the legs can feel a bit stiff and slow to warm up when it's cold but I don't mind about that.
ReplyDeleteThe only other item I wear for winter running is a cheap Karrimor run jacket over my t-shirt.
Thanks as always H. Sounds like you're well "seasoned" for running in the cold!
DeletePosties often seem to wear shirts well into the winter so why shouldn't runners?
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, some people say that knee joints can suffer if they get cold.
Thanks Anon. Yes you're right about the Posties - I too have nticed them wearing shorts well into the winter.
DeleteAs I only have one pair of knees, I think I'm going to look after them as much as I can as they are really important and could be prone to injury.