Day 228, 137 To Go

August 16, 2013

And here it is!  Friday!  I have a busy weekend planned.

That's a lie.  I have nothing planned, really.  Honey's brother, Fluffy, is here along with his girlfriend, Renata.  No, his name isn't Fluffy, but if you want to know why I call him Fluffy (and he calls me Fluffy) you'll have to read one of my earlier blogs (I don't know which one...there are over 200...I ain't lookin!!)

I do know it is going to be hot this weekend (it is always hot) so it is important to dress right, especially on my run.  This brings me to rule #20 from The 25 Golden Rules of Running from Runner's World magazine.

21. The 10-Degree Rule 
Dress for runs as if it's 10 degrees warmer than the thermometer actually reads.

To put it another way, dress for how warm you'll feel at mid-run--not the first mile, when your body is still heating up. This means choosing the right apparel. (See the "Dress for Success" table) "On cold days, the new soft-shell tops and tights are light, warm, and breathable," says Emily Walzer, fabrics editor for Sporting Goods Business Magazine. "On warm days, wear a lightweight performance fabric next to your skin, which will disperse sweat through evaporation."

The Exception: There's a limit to how many clothes you can take off without getting arrested, so if it's in the 70s or warmer, wear minimal lightweight, light-colored apparel.

Dress for Success
Here’s a cheat sheet to help you dress appropriately for your runs, no matter what the thermometer says. This chart factors in the 10-Degree Rule but doesn’t account for a significant windchill. On very windy days, you may need to dress warmer.
TEMP (in degrees)	BASIC APPAREL
above 70	Lightweight/light-colored singlet and shorts
60 to 69	Tank top or singlet and shorts
50 to 59	T-shirt and shorts
40 to 49	Long-sleeve shirt and tights or shorts
30 to 39	Long-sleeve shirt and tights
20 to 29	Two upper-body layers and one lower-body layer
10 to 19	Two upper-body layers and one lower-body layer
0 to 9	Two/three upper-body layers, one/two lower-body layers
below 0	Three upper-body layers, two lower-body layers

So, I ran naked today while juggling ice cubes since it was like 90 degrees.  Honey ran with me and she was naked too.  Really.

So, this rule doesn't apply for about 10 months out of the year for me.  When I lived in CT, this applied and for those of you who don't live in the hotter parts of the country, you will find this helpful.  I have never run in below 0 degree weather...or under 20 for that matter, but I have run in the upper 20s and lower 30s.  I don't recommend it though because it sucks!  I can't remember what I wore exactly, but I wore a lot of clothes.  If you are like me and you get the shivers just thinking about snow, you may want to wear even more clothes.

Really, when you run in cold weather, you may not think it, but it will get warm.  When I ran the NYC marathon, it was close to 32 when it started.  After about 15 minutes, I was getting warm, and after 30 minutes, I had stripped down to shorts and a shirt.  It meant I had to carry my arm warmers for most of the race though (I wasn't throwing them away!!)

Here are our numbers for today:

Time: 25:00

Distance: 2.20 miles

Pace: 11:21/m

Max Pace: 9:00/m

Calories: 182
Avg HR: 104

Max HR: 116

Honey and I had a nice, relaxing run today.  Well, I found it nice and relaxing.  I don't know about Honey.  I think she would have rather been home sleeping, but too bad.  It was running time!  As always, I appreciate her company and I hope she keeps on coming.  Until next time peoples...

Run for Life!!