I'm in Michigan, so there are plenty of days when ice forces me onto the dreadmill. Other than that, you'll find me outside every chance I get, since I know that the next day I may not get to! I bought these running shoes from Iceland called "Ice Bugs". Seriously great traction in slippery conditions. Wouldn't do anything longer than an 8-10 miler in them, but who runs longer than that in the OS anyway? ;-)
WE are not SUPPOSED to cross country ski race at wind chill below -40F. I have, but it is not fun. Don't run when it is that cold either. I am a wuss on the bike though and like warm and dry...
@ David - way back when (I think it was Jan 81 or 82), I got up on a Sunday morning to run an hour. I did not check the temperature...just assumed 5 to 10 below zero as it had been for a week. Got dressed and hit the road. Man was it cold. I was so cold I decided to bag it at 30 mins and figured I would make it up later in the day because there was a 10K race scheduled at 1pm. So I get home, turn on the TV and find out that the windchill was 76 below! That explained why I was freezing. So, I go to the race several hours later, but this time wearing just about everything I owned for running. By then, it had warmed up to 71 below, but they still shortened the 10K to 2.8 miles due to the weather. So off we go, running on snowpacked roads in friggin cold weather...and I near died of the heat! I distinctly remember that I felt like I was cooking because I had overdressed for a race effort!
It's all about the precip: if it's dry I am good down to about 20F, which is rare to get here in the Mid Atlantic. The moment it gets wet I find an excuse to get indoors (only Oct thru April, in the warm months it's not bad).
I would much rather do a focused 45 min run on the treadmill or a set on the bike trainer than wander outside when it's cold and wet. I really like running on the 'mill when it's dark outside and raining sideways.
Ditto,, i have been training for the last two weeks here in utah, and the high has been 18-25 degrees. Running is fine, cycling limit is above 40 degree for me.. Thats because i go so fast the windchill is a killer!!!
I don't bail on Runs due to cold or any weather condition. I *might* switch it to later in the day when the snow is cleared off the roads but that's rare. Over the years I have accumulated the right clothing to keep me warm but not overheat. And I screw my shoes (put hex screws in the bottom) to keep me upright. I find the worst running condition is super wet snow.
Bike is a different story. I can handle as low as 28 degrees if the sun is out and no wind. I will go out in the rain if it's a drizzle or about to end or really hasn't begun to really rain.
@ Jim - I used to put screws in my shoes when I lived up north...pretty effective. Running in slush isn't any fun, but what I really hated is trying to run on a trail after it snowed, then had a partial melt, then refroze. All the bike tracks and foot print ridges and imprints are then frozen into an unstable, ankle busting, slippery mess. Biking is where my wimp factor really comes to play. If I'm running, my feet will be warm even in icy water. But on the bike, my toes get miserably cold below 50.
Changes in the weather are a norm. I think the coldest that I've run in, in the past 2 years, is -15F without the wind chill. I don't remember what the wind chill was at that time. As with others, it's the footing that matters most for me. I fell on the ice and tore my meniscus. So no more running/walking on icy conditions. I'm more careful about where I run. I plan on trying the screws in my shoes this year(I've got a pair that are tagged for this treatment.) The thing that really affects me is wind... After my first marathon where we had 40 mph winds, I just have a REALLY hard time with big wind anymore. The wind made the marathon quite un-fun.
For cycling, I'm pretty much indoors when the temps hit 40F and below. I like my jaw and collar bones just the way they are, thank you very much!!! I also have a hard time with gloves that I can tolerate for a ride of any length. I'll be trying out the Manzella Windstopper gloves when we get back to warmer ride temps.
Comments
@ David - way back when (I think it was Jan 81 or 82), I got up on a Sunday morning to run an hour. I did not check the temperature...just assumed 5 to 10 below zero as it had been for a week. Got dressed and hit the road. Man was it cold. I was so cold I decided to bag it at 30 mins and figured I would make it up later in the day because there was a 10K race scheduled at 1pm. So I get home, turn on the TV and find out that the windchill was 76 below! That explained why I was freezing. So, I go to the race several hours later, but this time wearing just about everything I owned for running. By then, it had warmed up to 71 below, but they still shortened the 10K to 2.8 miles due to the weather.
So off we go, running on snowpacked roads in friggin cold weather...and I near died of the heat! I distinctly remember that I felt like I was cooking because I had overdressed for a race effort!
It's all about the precip: if it's dry I am good down to about 20F, which is rare to get here in the Mid Atlantic. The moment it gets wet I find an excuse to get indoors (only Oct thru April, in the warm months it's not bad).
I would much rather do a focused 45 min run on the treadmill or a set on the bike trainer than wander outside when it's cold and wet. I really like running on the 'mill when it's dark outside and raining sideways.
Ditto,, i have been training for the last two weeks here in utah, and the high has been 18-25 degrees. Running is fine, cycling limit is above 40 degree for me.. Thats because i go so fast the windchill is a killer!!!
I don't bail on Runs due to cold or any weather condition. I *might* switch it to later in the day when the snow is cleared off the roads but that's rare. Over the years I have accumulated the right clothing to keep me warm but not overheat. And I screw my shoes (put hex screws in the bottom) to keep me upright. I find the worst running condition is super wet snow.
Bike is a different story. I can handle as low as 28 degrees if the sun is out and no wind. I will go out in the rain if it's a drizzle or about to end or really hasn't begun to really rain.
I'm in Michigan.
Changes in the weather are a norm. I think the coldest that I've run in, in the past 2 years, is -15F without the wind chill. I don't remember what the wind chill was at that time. As with others, it's the footing that matters most for me. I fell on the ice and tore my meniscus. So no more running/walking on icy conditions. I'm more careful about where I run. I plan on trying the screws in my shoes this year(I've got a pair that are tagged for this treatment.) The thing that really affects me is wind... After my first marathon where we had 40 mph winds, I just have a REALLY hard time with big wind anymore. The wind made the marathon quite un-fun.
For cycling, I'm pretty much indoors when the temps hit 40F and below. I like my jaw and collar bones just the way they are, thank you very much!!! I also have a hard time with gloves that I can tolerate for a ride of any length. I'll be trying out the Manzella Windstopper gloves when we get back to warmer ride temps.