Just a little cold...
I’ve wondered more then once if I can run in my puffy coat. Usually when I look at the temperature and it’s reading 5* or lower... But I’ve never actually done more then my warmup in the puffy. Usually even that gets me so toasty warm that the thought of racing in the puffy is the furthest from my mind.
However... As New Year’s Day approached and the forecast temperature kept plummeting that puffy was looking more and more appealing. Monday New Year's Eve I watched the dramatic nose dive on the thermometer. Cold, cold and colder. Add in the gusting wind and snow and it was really looking like Rescue Run weather. Picking clothes was going to be a challenge. In the end, I dragged out my heavy fleece tights that I've worn maybe 20 times since I got them, my heavy craft shirt and a wool jacket under my FH Beerworks Shirt. Add in hat, gloves and face mask and I looked more ready to rob a bank then run a hard 10k.
We got a parking spot near the entrance of the park - which was perfect since I still wasn't sure on clothes or shoes. I had some options with me and parking close meant I'd be able to easily change if i wanted. I headed out into the great white north, er Palmer Park for my warm up. First though. Damn, it's cold out here. Can I run the race in my puffy coat? Second thought. My trail shoes aren't quite enough on the packed snow and ice. Third thought. Where did that wind come from? It was making 5 degrees feel even colder! I finished my warm up - if that can exist in such cold temperatures and boogied back to the van. I wanted my studded shoes instead of my trail shoes and my wind coat instead of the wool layer. After changing, I put my puffy back on. I was planning on wearing that to start, if not longer! Nick was going to jog around during the race and take my coat from me. But with the temperatures, I was thinking of actually starting the race with the puffy and then taking it off about half mile in. Or just leaving it on....
For the cold weather, there was a surprising number of people gathered at the start. I think people appeared out of nowhere about 5 minutes before the start - or they were hiding in their cars! The usual suspects were there - Rochelle, Wendy, Lauren. Given how my legs were feeling on the warm up, I wasn't really motivated when the started sent us on our way. Still working on starting slower, but that's hard on the downhill start of the Rescue Run. Rochelle took off hard, moving into the lead. Lauren and another women also took off hard. Into fourth pretty quickly. As we approach the Kinikinnic trail crossing, I took of my heavy gloves, unzipped my puffy and took my light gloves out of the pocket. Nick was standing on the side of the road and I slowed to give him my coat. No different then tossing it to the side of the road, just making sure I got it back, right? And then back to focusing on the racing part. Wendy had passed me as I slowed, so now into 5th overall. Not a bad place for Brewers cup points, but there were some women right behind me. Making the turn toward Yucca flats, I pulled back along side Wendy. I wanted to make the move to pass her, but wasn't sure if I could sustain it. Doesn't hurt to try!
Just before the first water station (I'm not sure anyone was actually taking water there - it may have been more ice cubes then water!) I surged just a little. Not enough to really break it but more to test my own legs. If the move held, great. If not, maybe I'd be able to run with her for a while. I did get a gap, but not much. And not enough and I knew it. I had fourth for about a mile and a half, but could hear her breathing behind me for the entire time. I could also see the three women in front of us, clustered close and not that far away. A few years ago, I would have pushed much harder both at the start and when I saw how close they were. But today, with the weather, I just wasn't feeling aggressive. So when Wendy passed me on the longer hill heading back out of Yucca Flats, I didn't push to keep with her. I just ran, maintaining my pace.
We merged with the 5kers and the women in front of me vanished into the crowd. Time to just focus on my effort and my pace - and not run over any other 5k racers! That was the nice thing about the 5k last year - I never really had any traffic issues! But I love the 10k course, so I'll deal with the traffic. The outward leg usually isn't too hard for the first bit, just a few faster 5kers coming back so it's easy to run the yellow line. As we got closer to the 5k turn around though, the traffic built up and I was having to watch for everyone. Then we moved through the water station and had some clear roads again. Just a short bit thought - out to the overlook and back to the aid station. The women in front of me had gotten some good ground in the last few miles, but they were clustered close still. While I was out of the running for top three, it was a close race for sure. At the turn around, I was able to see the field behind me. I had breathing room.
It felt like the temperature was dropping more in those last few miles. I was quite happy to have my wind coat on and was wishing I'd had figured out how to cover my cheeks without fogging up my sunglasses. Even though the sun was hidden behind low level clouds, it was still brighter then my left eye liked. Any time I pulled my buff over my mouth and cheeks, my glasses started freezing. Ugh. So my face was definitely getting cold. I was so happy to make the turn towards the finish. That meant I could get my puffy coat from Nick and cover my face! It wasn't my best time for the Rescue Run, but I was happy with the 46:12 time. And happy with how I felt during the race. Not fast, but comfortable with the pace. A good place to build on for the year.
I always have to say thanks to the volunteers for the Rescue Run. While sometimes the weather is lovely and it's a great day to volunteer. But on days like today, it's a challenging job to stand around and hand out water, direct traffic and help at the finish line. And races don't happen without the volunteers!
However... As New Year’s Day approached and the forecast temperature kept plummeting that puffy was looking more and more appealing. Monday New Year's Eve I watched the dramatic nose dive on the thermometer. Cold, cold and colder. Add in the gusting wind and snow and it was really looking like Rescue Run weather. Picking clothes was going to be a challenge. In the end, I dragged out my heavy fleece tights that I've worn maybe 20 times since I got them, my heavy craft shirt and a wool jacket under my FH Beerworks Shirt. Add in hat, gloves and face mask and I looked more ready to rob a bank then run a hard 10k.
We got a parking spot near the entrance of the park - which was perfect since I still wasn't sure on clothes or shoes. I had some options with me and parking close meant I'd be able to easily change if i wanted. I headed out into the great white north, er Palmer Park for my warm up. First though. Damn, it's cold out here. Can I run the race in my puffy coat? Second thought. My trail shoes aren't quite enough on the packed snow and ice. Third thought. Where did that wind come from? It was making 5 degrees feel even colder! I finished my warm up - if that can exist in such cold temperatures and boogied back to the van. I wanted my studded shoes instead of my trail shoes and my wind coat instead of the wool layer. After changing, I put my puffy back on. I was planning on wearing that to start, if not longer! Nick was going to jog around during the race and take my coat from me. But with the temperatures, I was thinking of actually starting the race with the puffy and then taking it off about half mile in. Or just leaving it on....
 |
| Most of the FH Beer Works team. After the race... |
For the cold weather, there was a surprising number of people gathered at the start. I think people appeared out of nowhere about 5 minutes before the start - or they were hiding in their cars! The usual suspects were there - Rochelle, Wendy, Lauren. Given how my legs were feeling on the warm up, I wasn't really motivated when the started sent us on our way. Still working on starting slower, but that's hard on the downhill start of the Rescue Run. Rochelle took off hard, moving into the lead. Lauren and another women also took off hard. Into fourth pretty quickly. As we approach the Kinikinnic trail crossing, I took of my heavy gloves, unzipped my puffy and took my light gloves out of the pocket. Nick was standing on the side of the road and I slowed to give him my coat. No different then tossing it to the side of the road, just making sure I got it back, right? And then back to focusing on the racing part. Wendy had passed me as I slowed, so now into 5th overall. Not a bad place for Brewers cup points, but there were some women right behind me. Making the turn toward Yucca flats, I pulled back along side Wendy. I wanted to make the move to pass her, but wasn't sure if I could sustain it. Doesn't hurt to try!
Just before the first water station (I'm not sure anyone was actually taking water there - it may have been more ice cubes then water!) I surged just a little. Not enough to really break it but more to test my own legs. If the move held, great. If not, maybe I'd be able to run with her for a while. I did get a gap, but not much. And not enough and I knew it. I had fourth for about a mile and a half, but could hear her breathing behind me for the entire time. I could also see the three women in front of us, clustered close and not that far away. A few years ago, I would have pushed much harder both at the start and when I saw how close they were. But today, with the weather, I just wasn't feeling aggressive. So when Wendy passed me on the longer hill heading back out of Yucca Flats, I didn't push to keep with her. I just ran, maintaining my pace.
We merged with the 5kers and the women in front of me vanished into the crowd. Time to just focus on my effort and my pace - and not run over any other 5k racers! That was the nice thing about the 5k last year - I never really had any traffic issues! But I love the 10k course, so I'll deal with the traffic. The outward leg usually isn't too hard for the first bit, just a few faster 5kers coming back so it's easy to run the yellow line. As we got closer to the 5k turn around though, the traffic built up and I was having to watch for everyone. Then we moved through the water station and had some clear roads again. Just a short bit thought - out to the overlook and back to the aid station. The women in front of me had gotten some good ground in the last few miles, but they were clustered close still. While I was out of the running for top three, it was a close race for sure. At the turn around, I was able to see the field behind me. I had breathing room.
 |
| On top of Grand Mesa, about 4.5 miles in. Photo: Tom Dewane |
I always have to say thanks to the volunteers for the Rescue Run. While sometimes the weather is lovely and it's a great day to volunteer. But on days like today, it's a challenging job to stand around and hand out water, direct traffic and help at the finish line. And races don't happen without the volunteers!
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