Happy 2010

Well...... Its been a while. It has been a pretty slow fall for me running wise. First, I suffered through some calf strain issues starting in late October. Then I ran a half marathon (Tyranena) in early November which was a beautiful day and run but I pulled my calf muscle again at about 3 miles and ran through it only to severely aggravate my injury.

This is the first day of 2010. It is a typical January day in Wisconsin. It is partly cloudy with a high around 10F and a morning temp around 2F with a breeze making the wind chill about -10. What do you do on days like this? Well, you can run. And that is what I did. This is the day for the New Years Day dash - a local 5 mile run. It is started from a chicken wing joint in Middleton, WI so you also get to run against a chicken as well as the other runners. The problem is that the chicken is pretty darn fast. I beat the chicken this year and finished first in my age group (34'50" or so) so I got a cheesy mug. Running in the cold requires a few modifications including:
1. Wind briefs - these are magical underwear that keep your organs from freezing. This is not something to snicker about. A run at 10F or so with a slight breeze can result in some serious chilling that can be pretty frightening. The briefs eliminate the problem- period.
2. Long underwear
3. Tights
4. Long sleeve shirt (coolmax or something like it)
5. Glide for the nipples due to the rubbing of all the layers
6. A wind proof top (windstopper fabric)
7. A balaclava (sp?) to keep your ears and cheeks from freezing
8. Hat
9. Gloves or mittens
10. Yak tracks on shoes to keep from falling on your ass

I know it sounds weird to run like this but you can actually do OK once you get used to it. I will not even start on carrying water(which tends to freeze after about 30 minutes).

I am thinking about my running goals for this new year. I will jot them down soon.

PS- I heard that the Chippewa 50K has been cancelled this year. I am not sure why or what happened but this is a huge disappointment. This race is one of the most beautiful runs I have ever done. This throws a serious wrench in any plans for my Glacial Trail Series for 2010.