How To Dress for Winter Running

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After last weekend's trail race, I received a lot of questions about what gear I wore on that bitterly cold, snowy run. I've been running for 30 years and living in the Midwest, you either suck it up and go no matter how cold it gets or you run on the treadmill. I think you know what I do. The only thing that keeps me inside is ice. 

Here's how I dress for the cold. 

It Might Be Cold but I Got to Run a Live Race!

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And we're in the middle of a never-ending pandemic...don't forget that. Live events are a rarity and I'm thrilled that the race director was able to pull this one off. It was a very small event, limited to 75 runners. The excitement of running a live race waned quickly with the arrival of bitterly cold temperatures. In fact, I had to really convince myself not to DNS. Reminding myself how fortunate I was to have a live event to look forward to really was the deciding factor. It's not like I haven't run in the cold before, either. I have all the gear including that awesome NorthFace thermoball jacket. I also recently purchased a SmartWool running skirt, which I wore over my tights. So off I went and I will share more details below. 

As I mentioned on my Coffee Talk post, I've been struggling with motivation lately. I was doing ok, but once we got the big snows of the past couple of weeks, my trails were inaccessible. I was suddenly really limited to where I could run. Couple that with the cold, windy weather that arrived this week and an RA pain flare on Tuesday...well, it's been mentally challenging. Outdoor running has been my therapy for over 30 years and I need it now more than ever. I am determined to suck it up and get outside no matter what, even if it is only for a few miles. My race on Saturday proved to me how important that is right now.

Coffee Talk and January's Book Reviews

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Let's catch up over coffee! I've got Allegro Organic Hardwired brewing; this bag of coffee benefits the National MS Society through the Team Left Hand's Bike MS Team. Bike MS is the largest fundraising bike series in the world. I do love me a cup of socially conscious coffee! Mine has a splash of half and half and a scoop of GLG Collagen. 

More Snow + Mini Book Review of Bravey

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This is the snowiest January I remember in a long time! As you read this, we are digging ourselves out from another 8 inches and it's still snowing. I love snow and all, but this is just too much of a good thing. 

Winter, combined with the pandemic, has given me a lot of downtime. I should could be cleaning my house, purging all the stuff we've been accumulating over the years. I have a list of home projects that need to be done. Instead, besides running and working out, I'm reading all the books. I have a large backlog of running and fitness books in my e-reader! There are so many new releases coming out and I've got them all, or so it feels. Over the next couple of months, I'm going to share a few mini-reviews on my weekly rundown posts instead of doing full-on reviews for all of them. 

Today for my first mini-review, I'm sharing Bravey by Alexi Pappas, which is more of a memoir than a running book. You can find it at the end of this post.

January Runfessions

Are we runfessing today? It is the last Friday of January, after all, and I runfess that I am happy about that! For those of us in Chicago, January is not usually a treat. The cold, wind, and relentless gray...it kind of wears a runner down. I guess I feel like with the continuation of the pandemic, this January the weather is merely a footnote. I runfess that I am enjoying the snow. But there is always something to get off my chest, so here we go:

Coming in From the Cold

Literally and figuratively. More on the actual cold weather below. 

But first, on Wednesday, I came home from my snowy trail run just in time to witness the Presidential swearing-in ceremony. I am not one to cry at events like this but this time the tears flowed and they kept flowing all the way through Amanda Gorman's beautiful poem. When Garth Brooks sang Amazing Grace, I was a hot mess. I had to get myself together and ready for work. 

In spite of the cold weather that day, I felt as if a warm summer breeze was blowing; the anxiety and sadness that had been weighing me down for much of the past year started to melt away. Democracy prevailed! There was so much hope and promise at that ceremony. For those of us who refuse to subscribe to conspiracy theories, lies, and hate, there was the realization that things are going to get better. It won't happen overnight, but yeah, the future looks bright. 

"There is always light. If only we are brave enough to see it. If we are brave enough to be it." 

~Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb

 

Friday's cold run

My 5 Favorite Trader Joe's Items

Who doesn't love Trader Joe's? I'm fortunate to live less than a mile from the iconic grocery store. Trader Joe's has grocery staples, but also many unique items that you suddenly find you can't live without! The store is constantly introducing new items and rotating seasonal items in and out of the store. I've been shopping there more frequently since the pandemic started due to their strict masking policy. Employees have been limiting the number of people allowed in the store at any time.

Today I'm sharing 5 of my favorite items from Trader Joe's! Only 5? It wasn't easy to narrow it down, but these 5 items are currently the ones that send me back to the store for more.