Baby, it's cold outside!

[sinanju]

Like, right around freezing--and that's before you factor in the wind chill.  Which makes running a brisk adventure after work.

But I'm equipped for it now.  I've got my layered running outfit, plus knit gloves and headpiece to keep my hands and ears warm.  I rather long for the days when I could run in just shorts and a t-shirt, but no doubt come spring and then summer I'll remember the cold with equal nostalgia.

You wouldn't think that asphalt is noticeably softer than concrete.  Or I wouldn't anyhow.  It certainly wouldn't feel soft if I fell on it.  And yet...if I run for very long on the sidewalk, I begin to feel it.  The outside rear of my calf muscles begin to burn.  Sometimes I get twinges in my knees.  But if I veer into the street and run on the asphalt, none of that is a problem.

So I run on the street wherever possible.  This keeps me quiveringly alert for traffic, given that I'm running at night.  I stick to streets with as many streetlights as possible and to neighborhood streets, with the exception of DIvision or 39th, the two high-traffic roads that bound two sides of my route.  They make up the middle third of my run. I don't cross those streets--those are the ones where I run along the sidewalk until I turn back into the neighborhood and can get back on the asphalt.

I get back to the house breathing deeply but not heavily, sweating and warm despite the cold--and full of energy.  I wasn't terribly excited about going out tonight, but I'm glad I did.  I always am.  It's good for me and it makes me feel good.  Win/win!

P.S.  New icon!  (I'll be using it to identify posts in an lj writing community.)

Comments

[kickair8p.livejournal.com]

"So I run on the street wherever possible. This keeps me quiveringly alert for traffic....."

And you're running on the wrong side of the street?

I haven't noticed a difference between asphalt and concrete, but I've been walking, not running. Good to know if I ever start, though!





~

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

If by "wrong side of the street" you mean on the side facing oncoming traffic, then yes. That's the rule I always heard as a kid--walk/run facing traffic, bike with the traffic. And yeah, running on the asphalt seems to be significantly less stressful on my lower legs and joints than running on the concrete sidewalk.

[kickair8p.livejournal.com]

"That's the rule I always heard as a kid--walk/run facing traffic, bike with the traffic."

The way I first learned it (California 1969), it was "walk/run/bike facing traffic," and then they changed it a little while later to your version. Messed with my head. ::g::





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running woes

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

I have a question: when I ran in the cold, what really got me was the air, as in breathing in that freezing air was nearly painful after the first mile or so. I used to run with a scarf wrapped around the bottom of my face, but it's not optimum. Have you run across this yet? Or does it not bother you?

I'll try running on asphalt too.

Re: running woes

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

No, breathing the cold air doesn't bother me. I suppose it might if I run in colder weather (below freezing), but not at the moment. It's my ears that I have to keep covered, for the same reason. They get painfully cold otherwise.

Re: running woes

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

Huh. I've heard people in PA mention it, but no one has ever seemed to come up with a good solution. You're in OR, right? Last time I was there, it was winter, but it was still mild (for winter months).

Re: running woes

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

Portland has a pretty mild climate, but that doesn't mean it doesn't get cold sometimes. It was around 33 degrees last night and we're expecting colder the next few days. The knit headband (think just the neck of a turtleneck sweater) seems to work quite well to keep my ears warm.