In my early Tues run, I commented on the cold conditions and the need to dress extra warmly for the first time this winter.
One of the facts for getting older as a runner—for me at least, though I suspect this in common experience—is that you get cold easier. Up till last year I was fine with “normal” tights from National Running Center or Road Runner Sports or the like. At the end of a run my legs might be red under the tights, but I never really felt cold per se.
Well, last year saw me do some heroic training under crappy winter conditions, and my legs did in fact get cold. So rather than buy a heavy-duty pair of running tights to the tune of $40-$60, I decided to layer up. The bride and I headed to Wal-Mart. I know, they are the essence of corporate badness and I try not to shop there, but this was an emergency of sorts.
I was looking for the heaviest pair of women's tights they had, not in the sporting goods or athletic wear area, but in the pantyhose department. I was able to buy a pair of fairly heavy tights for use as an thin first layer, over which I’d wear my real running tights. Better yet, they actually had some tights without feet, ankle length, so I didn’t need to worry about destroying them with my toes.
Well, for yesterday’s run I did the 2-layer thing with the Wal-Mart tights under my running tights. On top I wore my heaviest zippered fleece top. It has a hood, the good feature of which is it has no drawstring—it zips all the way up to my chin, covering the vulnerable neck area and leaving only my face exposed. I wear a baseball cap under it for shade—don’t need a knit cap as the hood is sufficient. Plus the sleeves are a tad long (I usually fold them back an inch or so), meaning that I can retract my gloved hands into the sleeves if it’s really cold.
So, bundled up, I had a great run. See, there’s no such thing as bad weather…only weather for which you are not adequately prepared.
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