Winter Challenge - 2012

[OdiarAmor]

I'm shivering while sitting inside thinking of running in that weather! I felt tough running on the might it was in the mid 30's.

 

[Barefooting Bob]

Game on. I will try to get my 1km in today in those temps if they get low enough.

Got it, 1.5 frigid kms at -31 degrees Celcius, boo ya. That would be -23.8 degrees F for all my American friends. Went for my little jaunt after a epic 7 mile trail run with the dog. Found some slightly snow covered asphalt running trails and decided to lose my mukluks. Only one set of eyes saw my feet though, that would be the rabbit that was just off the edge of the path, but it still had a look something like this

 

[Barefooting Bob]

Yup, I can hear the comments already Bob. The word on the forum has it that a someone living in Winnipeg is really someone who is to weird to live in Oregon and therefore had to be exiled to Winnipeg.

I told you we had a reputation to live up too.........

 

[rickwhitelaw]

Unbelievable Bob, that should be two more columns to the right of the coldest column on the spreadsheet and here I am getting a little frost nip at 11 F. Nothing serious, just enough to remind me not to push my limit.

 

[Barefooting Bob]

I ran really fast believe me, lift, lift and lift again. Biggest piece of advice if you are going to try those temps, carry some slip on foot wear and have them handy for a quick foot insert. I carry my mukluks with me and they are very easily to slip on.

I could of gone longer, but the nice groomed trail was starting to turn just a little to icy and snowy so I will be content with what I got.

 

[Bare Lee]

Bob, that's just plain nuts, and unfortunately I'm halfway tempted to try something similar. I hope reason prevails. I think it's best if only one BFRer tempts frost bit. How long do you think you could've gone before it would've become risky?

Luckily I don't have to worry about it for awhile, as we're still relatively balmy at 12 F / -11 C and will get above freezing this afternoon.

Hey, just curious, what sort of mukluks do you run in? Is that the company based in Ely, Minnesota?

 

[Barefooting Bob]

Bare, I did my run at about 7:00 pm so it was dark and the paths were not holding any heat of any kind from the daytime sun. Anyway, if the way was a little clearer I probably, this is just conjecture though, could of ran another mile or so. My feet were warm enough, but I did not want to risk the loose snow and the chance of either slipping on the ice or sticking to it.

Our temps are currently rebounding back into normality today as the temps started rising at about midnight, we are to be back into the teens this afternoon (that would be negative teens though).

My mukluks are custom made to my feet by my lovely and very talented wife. No rubber sole just two layers of buckskin for this guy and of course a little bit of fleece lining. These are traditional hunting muckluks not the fancy ones that you get in the store with all the poof and useless fur trim. They are awesome in cold weather, lots of ground feel.

 

[dutchie53]

Got me Bob, I got out for 1k in the afternoon, air temp of -24C but no windchill. And like Bob, I think my cadence was 300. Had to keep those feet turning over fast. Would I do it again, maybe but more then likely not. I gracefully bow down to the king of cold.

 

[Barefooting Bob]

Dutchie, it is total awesomeness that you got it down to -24 that is damn cold too. My cadence was at least 300, I almost felt supersonic.

 

[Bare Lee]

Bare, I did my run at about 7:00 pm so it was dark and the paths were not holding any heat of any kind from the daytime sun. Anyway, if the way was a little clearer I probably, this is just conjecture though, could of ran another mile or so. My feet were warm enough, but I did not want to risk the loose snow and the chance of either slipping on the ice or sticking to it.

Our temps are currently rebounding back into normality today as the temps started rising at about midnight, we are to be back into the teens this afternoon (that would be negative teens though).

My mukluks are custom made to my feet by my lovely and very talented wife. No rubber sole just two layers of buckskin for this guy and of course a little bit of fleece lining. These are traditional hunting muckluks not the fancy ones that you get in the store with all the poof and useless fur trim. They are awesome in cold weather, lots of ground feel.

Got me Bob, I got out for 1k in the afternoon, air temp of -24C but no windchill. And like Bob, I think my cadence was 300. Had to keep those feet turning over fast. Would I do it again, maybe but more then likely not. I gracefully bow down to the king of cold.

Ambassador Bob, no, that is nuts, and now I find out Dutchie is as nuts as you: -24 C = -11 F!!! I bow out before even trying. Hats off to you gentlemen, you got this Minnesotan feeling like a wimpy Californian. My Borean bravado is in tatters.

For shoes, I used the Moc3s last year, but if we have a normal winter I may have to try running in my RunAmocs, which were restricted to sledding and general outdoorsy stuff last year.
We got a foot of snow last weekend, and then I missed my run yesterday because of our toddler's daycare x-mas pagent, so today will be my first run on snow. I'll try a bit bare but will most likely do it in my Moc3s. I get scared as soon as the toes lose feeling. Just taking out the garbage and recycling barefoot this morning makes me realize how lucky I was to try winter barefoot running for the first time last year, during one of our mildest winters on record. I only had to run shod a handful of times.

 

[Barefoot YOW]

great run last night.....2 degrees and dry!
....I think I should invest in a reflective vest however as it is getting dark quickly and my normal running apparel is a bit dark

Make that a light saber and you're all set.

@dutchie ... -24C is darn cold.

@Barefooting Bob ... -31C is a new record for the Challenge

 

[Barefooting Bob]

@dutchie ... -24C is darn cold.

See Dutchie, I told you..........

 

[Bare Lee]

Yesterday the temps crept up over freezing, and the weekend's 12" snowfall (in less than 24 hours--fourth best for December) was getting pretty slushy. I thought about waiting a day for the streets to dry out some, and just do my strength training workout in the garage, but with yesterday's auspicious 121212 date, and news of Ambassador Bob and Dutchie’s brilliant Borean bravado the day before, I knew I had to get my a$$ out the door and see if I could hack the moisture. To avoid salted sidewalks, I thought the best bet was to run straight up my street and then do a couple of 1.7-mile loops in the State Fairgrounds, where there's little traffic. It was a good strategy. My feet-heat kicked in a little before the one-mile mark, but never got going enough to offset the slush and wet of the streets, and I couldn’t really stop for more than 50-100 feet in between my intended fartlek intervals before my toes would ice-up, so it turned out to be more of a tempo run or one-mile cruise interval run than an intervals run properly speaking. With the longer intervals I couldn’t quite keep within my 8-9 mm pace range, and so the constant pace alerts got pretty annoying.

At about the four-mile mark I felt a slight onset of ITBS, so I stopped and walked to a nearby bus stop to stretch out on its rail. A campus bus driver pulled up to ask if I was alright. I wasn’t really—the stoppage had allowed my feet to freeze up pretty good, kind of like one of those cartoon characters who turn to ice in a matter of seconds, but I still had my Moc3s in my hoodie’s front pocket if things got out of control. The stretch seemed to take care of the ITB strain and I was able to run the rest of the way home at a decent pace, although it took a block or two for my feet to become pliable again after starting up the run. The cold slush was a good motivator to maintain a decent pace all the way home, and the mild ITBS flare-up was a good reminder not to get overconfident and overdo things. I gotta stick to six miles or less for at least another few weeks I think. Meanwhile the three Canadians and Rick W keep gaining on me. Oh well.

5.66 miles total,
5.24 miles / 8.4 kms. running.
9:08 overall running pace.
36 F / 2.2 C, 32 F / 0 C windchill.

I do seem to have improved my tolerances since last winter's barefoot running. I remember one slushy run last year where I had to put on my Moc3s within a few blocks out. I think my tolerance for dry surfaces has also dropped some. Whereas last year I set -6 C as my limit, I think this year I may be good down to -10 C or even less. Conditions should be a bit dryer for tomorrow's run. I hope so, slush is a b!tch!!!

 

[Zetti]

Wow Bob...that's intense!!!
You too Duchie!
Lee.....I think that's pretty cool that you managed 5 1/2 mile run in slush....impressive as well.

I was out yesterday for a 4.5mi run and only managed 2 of it bf....temps were in the upper 30s which isn't even that cold.
It's frustrating as I ran the first 1.5 in my vivos to let my generally cold and clammy feet warm up, took them off and within 2 miles my feet when numb =(

Guess adjusting to the cold is a lot like adjusting to bf running in the first place....slow and steady.
Its just frustrating as my nice sole condition is quickly fading
and I think my wife would disown me if I was to do the bucket training...she already thinks I'm crazy for running BF

 

[dutchie53]

I would rather do a short run at -20C than -2C in wet slush. Man, that is awesome you were able to run in that stuff Lee. When I run in colder than -10C I only do that on packed roads. Even in fresh snow I find that the snow falls on top of my feet and melts thereby making my feet wet. I find it is very difficult for me to get my 1 km in if my feet are wet. Well done Lee, you would make a great Winnipeger.

 

[Barefooting Bob]

I completely agree, I usually save the slush runs for the spring and that is usually on a morning where it has heated up enough to turn the snow hardpack to a slushy mess, then I splash and jump as much as I can to make the slush fly through the air, oooooh what fun and the expressions on people's faces, make me long for a nice spring day.

Kudo's Bare, absolutely awesome.

 

[Bare Lee]

The one saving grace with slush, I guess, is that it can't be too cold for there to be slush in the first place, right? For me I think the hardest part is that it gets in between the toes. It didn't feel too bad on the soles, and yesterday's slush wasn't deep enough to get too much on the tops of my feet for the most part. The streets had been plowed so there was just a 2-6 inches of snow left on them before the sun started melting it. Still, there was one section of the run where the top of my left foot, just above the toes, felt pretty numb and stiff. I think it was the same part of the loop where the salted sidewalk running alongside the road already had a fair amount of dryish concrete popping through, temptingly calling to me like a siren to come get my soles tenderized. On the still-wet but already non-slushy sections of the road, I didn't feel too uncomfortable at all, as the temps were above freezing. Today there are already some dry patches on the roads, so hopefully tomorrow's run will be a little less challenging and I can run a little bit faster.

Now that Dutchie has anointed me an honorary Winter-Pagan,

I'm going to do my best to put off donning the shoes until absolutely necessary. I want to see how far down I can go in dry conditions, now that I'm getting the sense that my tolerances have improved over last winter's. But I'm not going to do anything like Dutchie and Bob. I could probably do that for a bit, but not for a whole run. It's really a pity I've been limited by these injuries since October began. It'd be nice to be logging some higher mileage before the really cold temps arrive in January. The funny thing is, I'm almost nervous about running shod again. Not sure why, but the mere thought of it is anxiety-provoking, like it'll be a new challenge. Which is absurd of course; it should make things a lot easier . . .

 

[dutchie53]

I was out doing a 1 km barefoot again today. The air temp was -15C with a -21C windchill and it was snowing. The -20C range is as low as I can go for short distances. My neighbor stopped me again at the end of the run to question my sanity, and for the minute or so that I was standing there talking to him was just about enough to push me over the edge. I think in the future I will keep my short spurts of barefootness to -15C or warmer.

 

[Bare Lee]

Well done Lee, you would make a great Winnipeger.

Can I consider this an honorary title?:

Sir Bare Lee, Winter Pagan.

Do I get some kind of honorarium for each degree minus Celcius I run?

Can I have a free pass to the next folk festival?

 

[dutchie53]

Lee we have high criteria as to who we allow to be a Winnipegger. That is only one hurdle. We have to have high standards otherwise we wind up allowing weirdos into our midst. You see how having lowers limits have worked out for the Oregon chapter. Just have a look at the pictures of their recent run.