Monday, February 9, 2009

Hello William, O'Brien that is.

This morning, I got in my first early morning trail run. While not very fun, it was glorious. While eating my bowl of Life cereal at 5:15am it dawned on me (no pun intended) that the sun might not come up before I was done. I checked my Garmin: sunrise at 7:21am. The waiting sunglasses would stay home.

Working through my running list felt foreign. It's been about 4 months since using it. I'll try to post it.

The run began at 5:50am at the visitor center at William O'Brien. The rain was freezing as it hit the trail. 34 degrees is a strange temperature. -10 to 10 is easier to deal with: wear plenty and try to stay warm. 10 to 30 is manageable: long sleeve wool, hat, and remove the running pants when warm. But 32 to 35 creates problems, especially if it's raining/sleeting and windy. Wool gets wet, then begins to shed its excess, leaving a moisture insulation approximately the temperature of the body. But the wind cuts through wool, causing the moisture in the wool to cool rather than remain at body temperature. So, on goes the wind-proof, unbreathable jacket. This causes the excess moisture in the wool to NOT shed. Now, wet from the rain and wet from the sweat.

And...because the jacket doesn't breath well, the body gets overheated. So, off with the jacket, and guess what happens to all that moisture on the inside. Yes, it gets cold. Back and forth; hot, then cold.

Nevertheless, a very nice morning trail run. Finished around 7:20am. Plenty of time to get home and to the office.

2 comments:

Steve said...

It's about time you hit the trails! Good man!

SteveQ said...

What were the trail conditions like? Afton's been packed down by traffic.