Hi Janie,
You are very sweet--I hardly feel like a super woman
. I guess I should clarify that I don't exactly enjoy running in the cold either; I just hate it less than running in the rain LOL!
I don't do much to warm up, other than "dynamic stretching," which our coaches taught us. Because static stretching while muscles are cold could lead to injury, they want us to "move through" stretches, if that makes sense. For example, instead of doing a static calf stretch, we do a downward dog, in which we press down one heel at a time, switching up every 10 seconds so we're not holding the stretch too long. Another one we do to warm up our hips and legs are leg swings: first forward and backward (with the legs straight, but knees aren't locked), and then side to side. We look like the Rockettes
. Then we do hamstring stretch to hip flexor stretch in a sort of walking lunge motion. Not sure if I'm explaining that correctly, but first you do a hip flexor stretch, then sit back into a hamstring stretch, then you move forward and do the same thing on the other leg. You do that 5 times on each side. And we start everything off with rotating from side to side (our arms swing freely as we do this) to get the upper body warm.
As for the actual running in the cold, I've learned it's about what you're wearing. While you're waiting to start, you'll want to bundle up--you do NOT want to chill. I usually have a ski jacket on, as well as gloves (I have microfiber ones I can run with), a hat (which I keep on when I run), and ear muffs to cover my ears. I wear tights, which are fabulous (CW-X insulator tights). Right before I start, I take off the jacket, and I try to dress in thin layers that I can peel off as I get warmer--thin layers are best, 'cause they'll be easier to tie around your waist as you peel them off. The rule of thumb is to dress as though the temperature is about 20 degrees warmer than it is, because once you start running, the body heat you generate will be about 20 degrees, and if you're dressed too warmly, you'll overheat.
I usually wear a long sleeve base layer (needs to be wicking, so the sweat is drawn away from you) and a dry weave t-shirt on top. I like to be warmer than most people, so I also wear a thin half-zip pullover (again, wicking
). I don't mind wearing things around my waist, so I usually end up taking that layer off later on--but not until about 4 to 5 miles in. I also wear those microfiber gloves and my hat, and sometimes I keep the ear muffs on, although that tends to make my ears too warm once I get well into the run. I usually keep them on out of sheer laziness LOL. My legs are usually ok because I'm wearing tights, but other than that, I try not to wear too much because I do get warm as I get into the run.
Hope that helps!!
PS Yup, I never run without my cell phone--I'm too paranoid about leaving it behind LOL! I also always have my license, a credit card, my insurance card, my AAA card, and $10--you never know if you need these things in an emergency, and I always wear either a hydration belt so I'm able to bring all of these things without them taking up too much room.
Jennifer
