More on cold weather

Today I needed to pack an extra bag for my weekend foray to the Philadelphia marathon. This is directly related to my long list of cold weather apparel as per my last blog posting.

If any of you reading this have walked a marathon or half marathon or 10k or 5k race, you know that the only real concern the night before the event is what to wear. I have been known to spend almost an entire pasta dinner ruminating over what to wear and then I can fuss for several hours in my room laying all the options out. Then, the first thing I do when I wake up on race morning is listen to the weather, or go to theweathernetwork.com, to check the hourly temperature and meteorlogical conditions! Does this sound familiar?

So, I packed what feels like every possible apparel contingency for temperatures hovering around zero. If there is precipitation at this temperature, it can be ugly. Rain at 2 degrees is honestly worse than snow at -2 degrees.

With furrowed brow, brooding over the potential for a cold, wet one on Sunday, I arrived at the airport with 2 jammed bags for 3 days away. Seated at the gate with my well-deserved latte in hand, I realized, hey, it could be 2 degrees and sunny! That would mean I need sunblock for my face! Which, of course, is nestled in my bathroom cabinet.

Ah well.

And for those of you who are out training or racing this weekend, here’s another cold weather thought that was discussed at the end of walking class today. There are many people who suffer from Raynaud’s Syndrome. The cold weather is especially challenging – fingers, toes, and noses can go completely white from cold as blood vessels constrict. If you are challenged with Raynaud’s, it really helps to add extra layers to the core area and keep the head warm. Don’t let yourself get cold at the beginning of the walk. It’s better to have to peel off layers as you warm up than have the blood vessels in the extremities constrict. And be prepared for the core to cool quickly after your walk is over. Pack an extra warm coat or vest for after training, especially if you are staying around for the oh-so-important après-walk coffee!