45 mile week

Finished a 45 mile week today. It was a tough one. I don't think the temp. was above -30 for the entire week. It's been extremely cold for 2 weeks now and I had enough. I really need a little break. Hopefully next week is better.

Sunrise this morning.

I did 12 miles today but I divided it in a morning and an afternoon run. I just can't run that long in this cold. It's too hard on my body.

Polar vortex dog. Allie loves running outside in this weather

I also have to find a way to keep my butt and thighs warmer, they just get too cold no matter the layers. Anybody with suggestions feel free to let me know. 

Ok enough with the whining. I am still going and part of the success is for sure  you people reading this blog. This week I was seriously contemplating the treadmill but I made a deal with myself to run through winter so I'm going to keep at it. 

Thanks for reading. :)

What a difference a day makes

Beautiful sunny day to run 6 miles. Can't believe what a difference of 10 degrees of windchill makes.

The temperature today was the same as yesterday -20C/-5F however the windchill today is -27C/-14F compared to -37C/-34F. This really made my run a lot easier. My bones were not so sore and I did not have to wear as many layers.

Sunset in freezing clear temperatures can be gorgeous. The snow reflects the beautiful pastel colors of the sky.

I want it back!!

This will be just a short post. As some of you may know our truck was stolen at the airport when we came back from vacation and today is a lot of phone calls and paper work. It was an old truck so not insured for theft. UGH! I really hope we'll get it back, but still it's just money....

This is where the truck used to be..

Today was another brutally cold day in the frozen tundra. The forecast said -20C/-5F but it had a wind chill warning. With the wind it was -37C/-34F. That is quite a difference but very important for outdoor activity. That means an extra layer on my head and one for my legs.

I did 7 miles and got way too hot. It's almost impossible to dress for outdoor activity in this weather because safety will tell you to dress a certain way but the body eventually does warm up and produces a lot of energy. My legs actually never really warm up so running is hard on those legs.

The reason I mention the temperature on almost every post is that I really need it for my own feedback, this way I will be able to look back and learn from how I felt. But also I have noticed that I get a lot more traffic for my blog on days that I mention the temperature compared to days that I don't. Especially from other cold countries like Sweden, Lapland, Russia etc. I really hope other runners get inspired and get the courage to run in their climate. It's possible and rewarding!

Finally a picture from the northern lights. I did not take this picture but I've seen it this beautiful. I guess you need a good camera for that. There's beauty everywhere, go outside and look for it!!

Unbelievable!!!

It's true. I'm doing my recovery run and another runner passed me. Seriously there are hardly any runners here. In summer there are lots of bikers and hikers but never runners. Getting passed by another runner in winter is truly traumatic. Of course I tried to speed up but this lady was fast too! Not cool!

This is not her. I was even too slow to get my phone out from under all my layers. 

Did 4 miles, 2 with my favorite puppy and 2 by myself.

Then some weight training. Squats and Turkish Get Ups. At the same time watching netflix at home. 

2 thoughts that get me through the long run

Temperature: -8C/17F windchill -13C/8Fb

Long run of 2 hours. 11 miles.

One of those days that the temperature felt colder than it should. Went back because my face was cold in the wind but I didn't want to put my balaclava on because I knew it would be too warm. Lathered a lot of vaseline on my face and went back out. Sure enough that did the trick. Can't do without vaseline in a cold climate!

One other pair of footsteps on the trail. Somebody's been brave!!

One of the things that keeps me going on a long run is thinking about the treats I am going to enjoy when back. Hot chocolate is one of them, the other is a hot bath with scented epsom salts. That's about it, I'm a simple woman.

Trees grow through roofs

Everybody knows that!

5 miles today at an easy pace. Beautiful sunny day. Nice and crisp. 

Temperature -10C -17C with windchill (13F/8F)

The wind came strong over the lake and that made one stretch pretty cold. The rest felt really nice. 

All the snow on the trails has been cleared now so that makes it easier.

I'm also doing Turkish Get Ups with kettlebells for strength daily (well I try). I definitely need to work on strength! It's the perfect strength exercise for runners, more about that another time.

As cold as it gets

If I can handle this I probably will be ok this winter.

This seems brutally cold but I was actually getting too hot after the first 4 miles and went home to take off some layers.

This is what I learned so far from running in extreme cold:

- With the right gear you can run in pretty much any cold weather.

- Most important areas to protect: head, neck, hands and legs. If your neck and head are warm you feel good. 

- No gloves, use thick windstopping mitts. 

- Protect your legs. Especially your butt! This area gets very cold and one layer is not enough. I wear a thick running tight and as a second layer a wind stopper. Still my butt is cold but it is doable.

- No wind stopper jackets, I'm serious, you get too hot. No hard shells either. You  will overheat.

- Wear a second hat or take one with. Nothing is worse when your head covering starts to get wet from your sweat and then that starts to freeze. You will need a second layer to stay protected.

- Use your head and hands as regulator for temperature. Even in brutal cold you will have moments that you get too hot. For instance you start against the wind but another part of the run the wind is behind you. This will feel like it's super hot and you'll start to sweat. The best way to regulate that is via your gloves or hat. Either take them off or allow some wind to cool off your skin partially.

- Drink! You will not be thirsty but running in extreme cold dehydrates you quickly. It's very dry. Water will freeze and I don't want to buy more gear. I am wearing enough weight as it is. I just go home more often and drink. 

Kids still playing outside. Shows that as long as you are well dressed you still can have fun and enjoy the outdoors.