Today I will get soaked on my run. But the weather Gurus believe it will actually feel like the actual temperature actually. Go figure. Why don’t they calculate “Rain Chill?”
The concept of wind chill means it feels colder when it’s windy. For a runner, this just causes more extreme feelings. Running in to the wind I suppose you experience super-wind chill, but running with the wind, it sometimes feels like wind… warmth.
I tend to not believe the wind chill, but to read the actual temperature, and then not if it’s windy or not.
There tend to be two philosophies for running with traffic. One is “Own the road,” and the other is to just be careful. I am completely in the “careful” camp.
My number one rule is: If there is going to be a car vs runner accident, don’t be there.
“Own the Road” runners like to be in the cartway, hold their line, and yell at cars who don’t give them wide berth. I find this frustrating, scary and dangerous.
Here are some of my rules.
Run on the left, in to traffic (in the USA). You want to see imminent death with a clear eye.
On rural roads, step off the road for oncoming traffic. Pull up and walk if approaching a dangerous intersection.
Don’t always cross at the busiest place – for example, in small towns I prefer to run the alleys rather than the main streets, which allows for easier crossings one street at a time, rather than at four-way intersections.
If an oncoming car is preparing to turn left, assume cars behind will swing out around them into the pedestrian lane.
Assume every car is being driven by a 17 year old who is texting on her phone, while eating and crying. It’s up to you to get out of the way and not be an accident.
If something looks the least bit dangerous, remove yourself from that situation quickly.
Cars are big and heavy – they will win.
Wear something reflective. At night wear a headlamp up front and a red flashy in back.
This winter we’ve had some really cold mornings, less than 10 Degrees Fahrenheit. I discovered my Garneau bicycle gloves make great running gloves. They are exceptionally warm.
They are “lobster” style gloves, meaning they have individual fingers, but also a fold our covering that encases two pairs of fingers.
I was chatting with a guy at a party, and he bemoaned the fact that he can’t run anymore, due to a couple of compressed disks in his back. He said the only way he was able to run as long as he did, in to his old age, was because he used heel inserts made of a substance invented by NASA. It was a resilient rubber designed for the O rings of rocket engines after the Challenger failure.
I contend that his compressed disks are an injury directly caused by the unnatural gait of a heel strike. You can’t do a heel strike in bare feet or leather sandals. The heel strike sends a shock wave up your leg, causing shinsplints, knee problems, and back issues. It is not a mechanically sustainable method of running.
But I guess we will see. This guy was 10 or 15 years my elder, and I know we all eventually get injured, wear out, and perish. At 55 years old I still feel able bodied and capable. I will continue to avoid the heel strike, and see if that allows me to run in to my golden years.
