What about the cold

 

What about the cold

 

People have been running for thousands of years.  During that time, we have run in all kinds of temperatures and terrain.   Today we have vast amounts of high-tech running gear to help us stay warm in the cold and to manage our thermal barrier regardless how hard we work.

 

As we peer back in time the question is how did they deal with the cold?

 

In just my short time on this earth we moved from wool to cotton and maybe some things I don’t even remember to the new high-tech gear we have now. Thanks to advancement in technology, we have great running gear for the cold and warm environments.

 

Let’s drop back in time a little farther and my mind goes straight to furs.  I am sure furs were not easy to come by, but I am sure some people had them. There are a lot of questions how they wore them.  Did they wear them like we do with pants, shirts and short or capes.  Well maybe some anthropologists might have an answer for the general person of that time but what about the runner of that time?

 

Well, maybe it carries it through to everyone in that period.  I am guessing we will not know the true answer but interesting anyway.

 

Let’s move a little farther back in time.  Were people just tougher?  Maybe they were, but without being there who really knows.

 

Let’s think about what about food for the runner of that time? Did they consume more calories as they had to hunt /gather and run in the cold.  We burn more calories so to sustain adequate energy, they would need to eat more.  Did they eat more fat at the time?  My guess is they ate everything they could find regardless of what it was, and fat was highly sought after.

 

The next question is maybe they looked a little different and maybe we were all hairy.   Well, that could be the case, but the fossil record does not tell us that answer.   Maybe they migrated and I am sure that was the case for some people. We still do that today as some people just want to get out of the cold.

 

Back to the main question, what about the cold?  Well, it is cold !!

 

Stay warm runners and keep running!

What About Hills

 

 

 

Do you run hills?  I have always incorporated running hills into my training.  They are great in the winter when doing track work is impossible because of the snow.  They help you with strength and form and let’s not forget about the mental toughness you get from running them.

 However, there are other sides to the hill.  There are hill races that are on the roads and trails.   There are exploring runs that can take you to extreme heights  and we can’t forget about downhill.   Yes, there are down hill races of all distances like Jack and Jills downhill marathon. 

I have had the honor to participate in every type of these runs.  I am sure many of you have also.  Here are a few of my favorite hills.

Elk Mound run to the Castle

Ogema to Timm’s hill (Highest point in Wisconsin)

La Crosse Civic center to Grand Dad bluff and back

Mt Washington Road Race (NH)

Smugglers pass  in Aspen (Co)

King Arthurs Seat Scottland England at the end of the royal mile,

 

Let us know your favorite hill near or far for we love them all!

 

Good Running  Friends!