Posted on Jul 21, 2010 under Health, Safety |
I’m pretty sure I got dehydrated yesterday. When I got home from a full day of programming and a post-work meeting I was exhausted. My face felt really warm and even after a shower I still felt blah. I didn’t want to interact with my amazing wife, but just wanted to veg out.
The day didn’t seem out of the ordinary, I did a 2 mile run – drank water and had breakfast. Then I rode to work, taught my class which included 9 miles of bike riding and finished off my water bottle. Drank another bottle during lunch and the first part of the afternoon program. Biked to my meeting (drinking some more) and got a fruit smoothie. Refilled my bottle and drank more on the way home. I had some more water with dinner.
This morning when I woke up, I was extremely tired and felt very thirsty. So more water did I drink. The clue I guess should have been that I didn’t really have much urge throughout the day to pee. It is hard to force yourself to drink until you pee when you are supposed to be in front of kids all day without any real breaks.
Yesterday wasn’t an extremely hot or humid day, but I was active all day and obviously didn’t get enough water – which is a big no,no and something we harp on the kids about all the time.
One thing I’ve done in past weeks is to drink some type of electrolyte drink during lunch or at some point in the day. This ensures that you are getting hydrated, but also replaces some micronutrients that your body depletes through sweating. I need to remember to grab some of the Gatorade in my car as I gear up on my bike. On some of my longer bike training rides I’ve been using Nuun tablets and that has helped with electrolyte replacement as well. Nuun claims to not create a sticky mess in your bottle!
So be careful out there and stay hydrated.
Also check out my 8 tips for what do when there is a raging inferno outside!
Posted on Aug 05, 2009 under Information, Safety, Training |
Many runners think that taking a day off is a bad thing. The thought of not running any miles on a given day is ridiculous. There is the saying that when you are running 3 miles someone else is running 4, this type of thinking leads into the “no rest” mentality.
Every training program that I’ve followed includes some form of rest/recovery in it. Resting is an important part of allowing your body, especially your muscles the chance to heal and repair themselves. To improve, muscles need a chance to create new fibers and generally get stronger. Running – even an easy jog will tear muscle fibers that need healed.
Resting can mean a lot of different things though. Below are several types of rest:
1) Doing nothing. This is generally what we think of when using the word rest. Doing no strenous physical activity.
2) Cross-training. Biking, Swimming, Rowing, Elipticating – doing some type of physical exercise that isn’t running and doesn’t use your main running muscles. Elipticating might actually be a bad form of cross-training but it is a fun word to write.
3) Active Rest. I think of this as doing nothing strenous but maybe doing something moderate or different than normal. Going for a longer walk than normal, doing more yard work than normal. Basically doing something that isn’t necessarily strenuous but isn’t sitting around on the coach.
I would advocate that doing absolutely nothing every now and then is a good thing. I am a huge proponent of cross-training at least one day a week. Most types of cross-training will actually help your running.
One thing I’m learning more and more is that it is important to understand your body and what you need to stay healthy and fit. A few days off in any given week isn’t going to kill your training plan. But a well thought out resting strategy can be crucial to race-day success.
Bonus Tip: There is a way to get 24 hours of rest and still run every day. If you run in the morning on Monday and then in the evening on Tuesday, you have given your body 24 hours of rest in between runs. What you do on Wednesday is tricky, but you still got a “rest day” without writing down a zero. If you run Wednesday morning prepare for it to be a crappy run (especially if Tuesday was a hard workout). You could mitigate this by doing a lunch-time run.
Technorati Tags: running, resting, rest
Posted on Apr 01, 2009 under Health, Information, Research, Safety |
Dr Kevin Harris
A recent study by the Minneapolis Heart Institute provides data that twice as many people die, per million during triathlons than marathons.
The Pioneer Press reported on Dr Harris’ research:
Marathon-related deaths made headlines in November 2007 when 28-year-old Ryan Shay died while competing in New York in the men’s marathon Olympic trials. Statistics show that for every million participants in these 26.2-mile running races, there will be four to eight deaths.The rate for triathletes is far higher –15 out of a million, the new study shows. Almost all occurred during the swim portion, usually the first event.
That most triathlon deaths occur during the swim portion of the event makes sense. Any injury or fatigue in the water could create a potential drowning incident. Both events are still relatively safe, in a 33 month period 14 triathletes died out of a total of 922,000 competitors.
Out of the 14 athletes, 6 were autopsied and four of those had documentable pre-exsisting heart conditions. The water temperature and stress of competition can exasperacte these conditions. A normal heart may also react negatively in these situations as well.
Their advice:
Doctors offer these tips to anyone considering a triathlon:
—Get a checkup to make sure you don’t have hidden heart problems.
—Train adequately long before the event, including open-water swims — not just in pools.
—Acclimate yourself to the water temperature shortly before a race, and wear a wetsuit if it’s too cold.
—Make sure the race has medical staff and defibrillators on site.
Technorati Tags: Triathlon, Marathon, Heart, Heart Research
Posted on Feb 05, 2009 under Health, Information, Safety |
Clif Bar recently announced that they are expanding their voluntary recall. It was a little confusing at first but here is the lowdown. ClifBar has 14 products affected by their recall. They are the same 14 products from the first announcement except that they have broadened the date scope. The original list included Canadian products and this list has expanded into the UK.
You can see a full list of energy bars affected by Salmonella here.
Here is a current listing:
In the U.S, the following products with BEST BY or SELL BY dates1 within the ranges below, all sizes and packages, are included in the initial and expanded recall.
CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
09OCT08 to 31DEC09
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter
09OCT08 to 31DEC09
CLIF BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz
09OCT08 to 31DEC09
CLIF Builder’s Peanut Butter
20SEP08 to 31DEC09
CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR Peanut Butter
21OCT08 to 31DEC09
LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate
28OCT08 to 31DEC09
LUNA Peanut Butter Cookie
28OCT08 to 31DEC09
MOJO Honey Roasted Peanut
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Mixed Nuts
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Mountain Mix
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Peanut Butter Pretzel
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Dipped Chocolate Peanut
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Dipped Peanut Butter and Jelly
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Dipped Fruit and Nut
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
In Canada, the following products are included in the recall. Only bars with wrappers that have the following EXPIRY DATE/DATE D’EXPIRATION codes1 on them, in all sizes and packages, are being recalled:
CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch / Brisures de Chocolat aux Arachides Croquants
2008OC04 to 2009DE31
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter / Beurre d’ Arachide Croquant
2008OC04 to 2009DE31
CLIF BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz / Toffee et Arachides
2008OC04 to 2009DE31
CLIF Builder’s Peanut Butter / Beurre d’Arachide
2009MA06 to 2009DE31
LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate Saveur de Noix et Chocolat
2008OC28 to 2009DE31
In the United Kingdom (UK), the following products are included in the recall. Only bars that have the following dates1 on them, in all sizes and packages, are being recalled:
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter
BEST BEFORE:
07NOV2008 to 31DEC2009
LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate Saveur de Noix et Chocolat
EXPIRY DATE/DATE D’EXPIRATION:
2008OC28 to 2009DE31
No other CLIF or LUNA products or flavors are included in this recall
This expansion is accompanied by a letter from Gary & Kit, co-owners of ClifBar. It included the below paragraph:
Clif Bar is taking a break and temporarily suspending production and shipments of our recalled products with peanuts and peanut butter. Now and during this break, consumers can enjoy our 91 other products that do not contain recalled peanuts or peanut butter.
They hope that by doing this they can rebuild trust, reduce confusion, and take a deeper look at their quality assurance practices.
HT Chicago Athlete
Technorati Tags: ClifBar, Salmonella, Energy Bars
Posted on Feb 04, 2009 under Equipment, Information, Safety, USATF, mp3 |
In case you missed it, the USATF is now permitting runners to wear headphones again. Yes the USATF recently changed the rules again for its sanctioned and insured events (official release).
The sudden change of course throws a curveball to the many races that disqualified runners for wearing headphones. I’ve heard at least one story of a streaker whose streak was officially broken because they were DQ’ed after completing a race wearing headphones. Will they continue enforcing the ban as is their right? Should they reinstated runners who were DQ’ed after reviewing marathon pictures? I doubt they will reinstate runners but should they continue enforcing their previous bans?
The USATF has decided to leave the decision about headphones up to the individual race directors, except in the case of USATF Championship races, where those competing for awards can’t wear portable audio devices.
I personally am not a fan of wearing headphones while racing and have had an occasional problem when trying to pass someone who was wearing them. It is one thing to train with headphones, but to me racing is a more pure component of running and it is easier to enjoy the event and surroundings without them.
This quote from The Final Sprint sums it up well:
“The difficulty in enforcement was part of the reasoning,” said USATF Rules Committee chairman John Blackburn through a news release. “However, several good-sized races have demonstrated that they were able to enforce the rule. There were strong opinions on all sides of this discussion, both understanding the issues related to athlete safety, race organization, difficulty of enforcement. This resolution appeared to be the best position for USATF overall.”
Many race organizers thought the genesis of the ban was due to safety concerns; runners may be listening to music which is so loud that they cannot respond to instructions should an emergency arise. Indeed, the issue had been couched that way by many who supported the ban, who also argued that plugged-in runners were discourteous to their fellow athletes, running in their own world and blocking race courses.
While the rule modification will certainly provide race organizers with much-needed breathing room, it will do little to quell the debate amongst runners themselves. Many serious recreational runners don’t want to line up next to headphone wearers, afraid that their competitive efforts may be impeded. The new language of the rule may prompt some event organizers to offer headphone-free starting corrals to mollify those concerns.
What is your opinion on wearing headphones during a race?
HT Run to Win
HT The Final Sprint
Technorati Tags: USATF, headphones
Posted on Jan 24, 2009 under Health, Information, Safety |
Highlighted products include and their current status:
I got this e-mail from PowerBar today. I assume It covers their Pria product line as well.
We would like to take a moment to reassure you that none of our PowerBar products are affected by the recent reports of salmonella found in certain types of peanut butter and peanut paste ingredients traced to Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), the company that announced a nationwide recall of peanut butter. It is important to know that PowerBar does not purchase or source any peanut butter-based ingredients from PCA.
Consumer safety is our top priority and we utilize extensive quality control processes and checkpoints to ensure our products are in full compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements.
We’re passionate about sports and fitness. That’s why we started PowerBar to begin with-to help athletes like you reach your goals by providing trusted, proven nutritional products.
For the full safety release, visit:
www.powerbar.com
For a limited time, we’re offering a 10% discount on select PowerBar products. Visit www.PowerBarStore.com and enter discount code: PUSH09 at check out.
Respectfully,
PowerBar
I couldn’t find any information about Gatorade, or Balance Bars.
Update (2/2/09): Balance Bars updated their website to include this statement:
Balance is NOT recalling any products in connection with the recent salmonella outbreak related to peanut butter and paste.
Mars Snackfood US continues to say all of their products are safe. A full list and detailed information can be found below.
19 January 2009 - United States
Hackettstown, NJ – January 18, 2009 – Mars Snackfood US today issued the following statement in reaction to the ongoing FDA investigation into peanut butter:
“Mars Snackfood US remains confident in the safety and quality of our products that contain peanut butter, all of which are safe to enjoy. Mars does not receive or process any peanuts or peanut butter from Peanut Corporation of America or King Nut, the companies that, according to FDA’s most recent update on its investigation, appear to be the source of contaminated product. In addition, we have not been asked by the FDA to recall any products in relation to the current investigation into salmonella.
At Mars, the majority of our products are manufactured using our own peanut butter made from our own roasted peanuts.
Food safety is of paramount importance to Mars, and we are committed to the highest standards of quality and safety. At Mars, we maintain a strict quality control program to ensure that our products leave our factories exceeding our high standards. Consumers can continue to have confidence in the quality of all Mars Snackfood US products.”
The following Mars Snackfood US products contain peanut butter, none of which is sourced from the companies being investigated by the FDA:
· M&M’S® Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies
· SNICKERS® Brand
· SNICKERS® Brand Ice Cream
· TWIX® Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
· KUDOS® Peanut Butter Granola Bars
· Ethel M Chocolates® and ethel’s® chocolate lounge
About Mars Snackfood US:
Mars Snackfood US is the United States snack operations of Mars North America. With more than $7 billion in annual sales in the U.S., Mars North America includes food, snack and petcare segments, which are a symbol of excellence for quality brands. Headquartered in Mount Olive, New Jersey, Mars North America employs more than 15,000 associates in the United States, with 72 facilities nationwide. Mars Snackfood US includes some of the world’s favorite brands such as, M&M’S® Brand, SNICKERS® Brand, DOVE® Chocolate Brand, MILKY WAY® Brand, 3 MUSKETEERS® Brand, TWIX® Brand. Additional popular brands in the petcare and food segments for Mars North America include UNCLE BEN’S® Brand, PEDIGREE® Brand Food for Dogs, and WHISKAS® Brand Food for Cats. Please visit mars.com.
Clif Bars has issued a voluntary recall:
On January 19, 2009, we announced a voluntary recall of 14 U.S and 4 Canadian products including CLIF Bar, CLIF Builder’s, CLIF MOJO, CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR and LUNA Bar, in the U.S. and Canada because the peanut butter in those products was sourced, for a limited period of time, from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA is a manufacturer and supplier of peanut butter for many food companies and manufacturers.
PCA is under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a recent Salmonella outbreak thought to be caused by tainted peanut butter. In light of this investigation, and with an abundance of caution, Clif Bar & Company has enacted a voluntary recall. We take the health and safety of our consumers very seriously.
UPDATED 2/5/2009 to reflect expanded recall. More info here.
In the U.S, the following products with BEST BY or SELL BY dates1 within the ranges below, all sizes and packages, are included in the initial and expanded recall.
CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
09OCT08 to 31DEC09
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter
09OCT08 to 31DEC09
CLIF BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz
09OCT08 to 31DEC09
CLIF Builder’s Peanut Butter
20SEP08 to 31DEC09
CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR Peanut Butter
21OCT08 to 31DEC09
LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate
28OCT08 to 31DEC09
LUNA Peanut Butter Cookie
28OCT08 to 31DEC09
MOJO Honey Roasted Peanut
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Mixed Nuts
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Mountain Mix
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Peanut Butter Pretzel
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Dipped Chocolate Peanut
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Dipped Peanut Butter and Jelly
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
MOJO Dipped Fruit and Nut
01SEP07 to 31OCT09
In Canada, the following products are included in the recall. Only bars with wrappers that have the following EXPIRY DATE/DATE D’EXPIRATION codes1 on them, in all sizes and packages, are being recalled:
CLIF BAR Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch / Brisures de Chocolat aux Arachides Croquants
2008OC04 to 2009DE31
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter / Beurre d’ Arachide Croquant
2008OC04 to 2009DE31
CLIF BAR Peanut Toffee Buzz / Toffee et Arachides
2008OC04 to 2009DE31
CLIF Builder’s Peanut Butter / Beurre d’Arachide
2009MA06 to 2009DE31
LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate Saveur de Noix et Chocolat
2008OC28 to 2009DE31
In the United Kingdom (UK), the following products are included in the recall. Only bars that have the following dates1 on them, in all sizes and packages, are being recalled:
CLIF BAR Crunchy Peanut Butter
BEST BEFORE:
07NOV2008 to 31DEC2009
LUNA Nutz Over Chocolate Saveur de Noix et Chocolat
EXPIRY DATE/DATE D’EXPIRATION:
2008OC28 to 2009DE31
No other CLIF or LUNA products or flavors are included in this recall.
If you purchased the recalled bars, please destroy them but retain the BEST BY, SELL BY or EXPIRY DATE/DATE D’EXPIRATION code found on the back of the package.
Costco and Sam’s Club members should return any recalled products to your local club store for a full refund.
For all other consumers, contact us online or call 1-800-CLIFBAR (1-800-254-3227). Please note, we’re experiencing a high call and email volume, and are working to respond to all inquiries as quickly as possible.
Rest assured, we are doing everything we can to address this situation. Consumer safety is our number one priority.
To read Clif Bar & Company’s press release, click here.
Retailers, click here for a product recall list with UPC codes.
For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site (www.cdc.gov) or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).
1 The images below show where to find the BEST BY or SELL BY codes. The code is stamped on the back of the wrapper, to the right of the words SELL BY or BEST BY. Please note: these are only two examples of recalled products:
Updated (2/2/09) ZonePerfect bar’s parent company Abbott Nutrition announced a voluntary recall of 3 products.
Here is the official announcement:
Abbott Nutrition today announced that it is initiating a precautionary, voluntary recall of ZonePerfect® Chocolate Peanut Butter bars, ZonePerfect® Peanut Toffee bars and NutriPals™ Peanut Butter Chocolate bars in response to the widening recall involving peanut butter and peanut paste ingredients manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA was one of the peanut ingredient suppliers to the company.
The specified Abbott Nutrition items, sold in the U.S. and internationally (Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore) in various packages and quantities, have not been linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak and there have been no reported cases of the salmonella illness associated with ZonePerfect or NutriPals products. Abbott Nutrition tests every lot of finished ZonePerfect and NutriPals bars for salmonella and no salmonella contamination has been detected. This voluntary recall does not apply to Abbott Nutrition products sold in Canada.
Abbott Nutrition’s action to issue a voluntary recall was supported by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s advisement to manufacturers of an ongoing outbreak of salmonella involving peanut butter and peanut paste supplied by PCA. No other Abbott Nutrition products have been impacted by the PCA recall.
As part of its priority to ensure the safety and quality of all of its products, Abbott is issuing the voluntary recall. Abbott is working with retail partners to remove the specified products from retail store shelves and encouraging customers and consumers to verify if they have the specified products.
Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged to destroy the product. U.S. consumers with questions or who would like a refund may contact Abbott Nutrition Consumer Relations at (800) 986-8884, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Consumers with questions or concerns about their health should contact their doctor.
Products impacted by the voluntary withdrawal are as follows:
- ZonePerfect Chocolate Peanut Butter bars, all sizes and quantities
- ZonePerfect Peanut Toffee bars, all sizes and quantities
- NutriPals Peanut Butter Chocolate nutrition bars, all sizes and quantities
General Mills has announced that its Larabar and JamFrakas lines may be affected by the peanut butter recall.
General Mills announced today a voluntary recall of LÄRABAR Peanut Butter Cookie flavor snack bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp flavor snack bars because peanut butter in the products was sourced from Peanut Corporation of America, and may be contaminated with salmonella. No illnesses have been reported in connection with LÄRABAR or JamFrakas products, and no other types, varieties or flavors of LÄRABAR or JamFrakas products are being recalled.
No other General Mills products are involved or impacted. See update below.
Peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) has been implicated in an outbreak of salmonella. As the scope of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation into this outbreak expanded this weekend, Peanut Corporation of America expanded its recall to additional lot codes of peanut butter. PCA supplied peanut butter to one of General Mills’ suppliers, including some lots that were part of the expanded recall, prompting General Mills to issue its own voluntary national Class I recall of the two LÄRABAR and JamFrakas products potentially involved.
LÄRABAR Peanut Butter Cookie flavor snack bars and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp flavor snack bars are distributed nationally under the LÄRABAR and JamFrakas brands, and are sold primarily as individual bars in grocery and specialty retail stores.
The specific products in this recall include:
LÄRABAR Peanut Butter Cookie snack bars Individual Bar 54818-00014-7 Caddy (16-bar sleeve) 54818-00064-2 6-bar pack 93759-00298-8 6-bar, 6-pack case 93759-00299-5 UPC Case Code 54818-00085-7
JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp
snack bars Individual Bar 93759-00212-4 Caddy (18-bar sleeve) 93759-00213-1
UPC Case Code 93759-00214-8
A combined 15,000 cases of product are involved. This includes all production of these two particular flavors, which were introduced in June.
Consumers who have products covered by this recall are urged to dispose of the product, and to contact LÄRABAR or JamFrakas for a full refund. Consumers with questions or concerns about the recall may call the toll-free hotline at 1-800-543-2147 or visit www.generalmills.com.
Updated 2-12-09
The specific products in this recall include:
- Cascadian Farm Peanut Butter Chip Chewy Granola Bars
Individual Bar UPC 0 21908-40802 6 (Not Sold Individually)
Carton (6 Bars) UPC 0 21908-14631 7
- Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Mixed Nuts Chewy Granola Bars
Individual Bar UPC 0 21908 50442 1 (Not Sold Individually)
Carton (5 bars) UPC 0 21908 40774 6
- Cascadian Farm Sweet & Salty Peanut Pretzel Chewy Granola Bars
Individual Bar UPC 0 21908-50443 8 (Not Sold Individually)
Carton (5 bars) UPC 0 21908 40775 3
Kashi announced a voluntary recall of select KASHI™ TLC™ CHEWY GRANOLA BAR flavors and all KASHI™ TLC™ CHEWY COOKIE flavors. The official list is here (pdf).
- Kashi™ TLC™ Chewy Granola Bars in Trail Mix and Honey Almond Flax varieties, 7.4-ounce box with a “Best If Used Before” date prior to September 19, 2009 and followed by the letters CD (SEP 19 2009 CD), with the following UPC codes: 1862703000, 1862703001, 1862723959, 1862728409, 1862731567.
- Kashi™ TLC™ Chewy Granola Bars Peanut Peanut Butter, 7.4-ounce box with a “Best If Used Before” date prior to August 8, 2009 and followed by the letters CD (AUG 08 2009 CD), with the following UPC codes: 1862703002.
- Kashi™ TLC™ Chewy Cookies in Oatmeal Dark Chocolate, Happy Trail Mix and Oatmeal Raisin Flax varieties only, 8.5-ounce box with a “Best If Used Before” date prior to July 30, 2009, with the following UPC codes: 1862732467, 1862742593, 1862762001, 1862762002, 1862762003.
Nature’s Path has issued a voluntary recall of the following prodcuts:
No illnesses have been reported in connection with Optimum Energy Bars and we believe the risk to be low because the bars are baked. No other Nature’s Path products are being recalled. The peanut butter in all other Nature’s Path products is sourced from Golden Boy Foods in British Columbia, Canada, which is in no way involved in the investigation.
The affected products are marked BEST BEFORE 01OCT09A, 03FEB09B, and 29APR09B.
If you have an Optimum Energy Bar Peanut Butter flavor with these expiration date, return it to the retail store where you purchased it for a full refund. If you have any questions at all please call the Nature’s Path customer service line at 1-866-880-7284.
Trader Joe’s has announcedthe following voluntary recall of their branded products:
1. Trader Joe’s Celery with Peanut Butter
2. Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars
3. Trader Joe’s Nutty Chocolate Chewy Coated & Drizzle Granola Bars
4. Trader Joe’s Sliced Green Apples with All Natural Peanut Butter
5. Trader Ming’s Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Rice Bowl
6. Trader Joe’s Vegan Pad Thai with Tofu
7. Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
8. Trader Joe’s Sutter’s Formula Cookies (only sold in our SoCal; AZ; NM and NV stores)
9. Trader Joe’s Vegan Trail Mix Cookies (only sold in our SoCal; AZ; NM and NV stores)
10. Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies (only sold in our GA; IL; IN; MI; MN; MO; OH; Pittsburgh, PA; TN; and WI stores)
Technorati Tags: PowerBar, Salmonella, Gatorade, Clif Bars, Larabar, Mars, Zone Perfect, Kashi, Cascadian, Trader Joes, Optimum Energy
Posted on Jan 21, 2009 under Equipment, Health, Information, Safety, Shoes, Winter |
 |
| I captured this image after my run on January 16, 2009. |
After some bad experiences last year, every morning I roll over and check the weather on my phone before going for a run. So what do you do when you roll over and see -22 as the actual air temperature? I see three options:
1) Roll back over and snuggle under the blanket until the absolute last minute until its time to go to work.
2) Visit your local gym, assuming you have a membership, or any indoor running facility.
3) Jump out of bed with eager excitement and begin putting on every piece of running attire you own.
I recently had this experience and while many of you from the more southern regions of our country would say I’m insane for choosing number 3 2x’s this week, I was not alone. No I saw plenty of bicyclists commuting to work and plenty of footprints in the snow indicating both runners and people walking their dogs.
How do you survive when the air temperature is below zero? Or below freezing for that matter? Layers and more layers. Honestly, it is amazing how much of a difference the wind chill can make though. In these cases Joe’s Temperature Guide (xls) probably won’t help too much. In 2007, I offered 9 winter running tips, but they don’t specifically address how to dress.
So here is my attempt to reconstruct how I survived running below zero (from the ground up):
Shoes - I wear my regular trainers and I actually don’t wear Yak-trax
or put screws in my shoes. Since my (and most) running shoes are made of mesh I put strips of duct tape on the mesh parts. I suggest using smaller strips so that the shoe can still flex properly. I actually wrapped some tape all the way around my toe box (including on the sole) which actually helped me loose traction!
Socks- I recommend Smart Wool Socks
they are the excellent at keeping your feet warm without adding several layers. The taller the sock the better. I was given a hard time last year because all the socks I wore didn’t come over the ankle! You can always go with a liner sock underneath a wool sock, but that might be overkill.
Pants – Our legs are an important part of the running machine. On these extreme temperature days I make sure to wear two layers. Between 32 and 0 I might only wear one, depending on the wind chill. I always wear running shorts underneath my tights, so I guess it is a triple layer over the most important stuff. I wore a pair of running tights. On top of that I wear some type of windbreaker-type pant with insulation. This obviously helps cut down on the wind while adding a bit of warmth. The problem is that the more you wear on your legs the harder it is for you to actually run.
Upper-Body/Chest – This area has the largest surface area and represent where you’ll feel the most pain if not dressed appropriately. I like to start with a short-sleeve thermal underwear shirt but also have worn a nice singlet. I think that one additional little layer isn’t hugely vital, but I want to keep the core warm. Over top of that I wear some-type of long-sleeve technical or dry-fit shirt. I would prefer not to have any sweat on my skin if I can help it so this shirt helps wick it away into the cotton long-sleeve shirt. Many people will probably protest this item but it has served me well. Yes the cotton absorbs the water and gets a little heavier but it provides a little more insulation than a second technical shirt would. Again depending on the actual temp or wind chill I might just wear a fleece vest, but on the extreme days I wear an insulated windbreaker jacket. I actually still have my warm-up suit from college (although I try to avoid wearing both the pants and jacket at the same time because they are both purple). The jacket again is insulated and help stop a lot of the wind from hitting my skin.
Hands – These things are hard to regulate. You definitely want gloves, but there are so many options. During my latest runs I wore a pair of 40 gram Thinsulate gloves that did an excellent job of blocking the wind and keeping my hands toasty – actually a little too toasty. I have a variety of other options but none seem to do the trick like these for the extreme temperatures. My recommendation would be some type of glove that changes into a mitten at the top so you can regulate the temp a little better.
Head – Every one says the head is the most important part, so who am I to disagree? I like to keep my head nice and warm! I wore a ear band. This doesn’t do a lot but keeps the ears from getting frostbite! On top of that I wore a Silk Balaclava
. Silk makes a nice base layer because it traps the heat inside and slowly releases the heat while also wicking away sweat. On top of this I wear a fleece balaclava. Fleece is also a good wicking fabric that is very warm, although it doesn’t protect very well from the wind. I actually sweat underneath these layers and don’t usually get cold, except for in the worst wind on my exposed flesh. You see the other day I started out wearing glasses (which are highly recommended to protect your eyes and the exposed skin that the balaclava doesn’t cover) but they fogged up really bad and then the steam froze on them. They were completely useless at that point, so I stuffed them in a pocket. NO HEADPHONES! I decided that I didn’t really want them freezing into my ear so I left them at home, plus who knows how the mp3 player might react to the temps.
There you have it a very long look at how to survive running in -20 temps! I’d love to hear what you wear out there on the cold days. You can also take a look at Blaine’s Tips for Winter Running Apparel. You can also check out this guy who bike commutes across a frozen lake at 20 below (HT The Deets).
Technorati Tags: Winter, Running, Apparel, Windchill, Extreme
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