The Snow Ninja

We've had a very cold week in Minnesota. Yesterday we had a -40 degree wind chill. My running buddies decided to stay inside, and I don't blame them. However, I simply refuse to let weather get in the way of my training. I'm resolute in my belief that with proper running gear, you can run in anything. So, I've decided to call myself the "snow ninja". The picture bellow explains why:



While my body felt very comfortable without sacrificing much freedom of movement, I have to admit, breathing heavy in these conditions can be a challenge. While the Under Armour hood is a life saver for keeping everything in the head and neck area protected, the material becomes hard to breath through once you really get running. My solution was to pull the face part down just bellow my mouth and put a headband over my nose and mouth area. This served to keep a pocket of moisture and warmth in front of my mouth; making the air much easier to breath. Breathing through my nose was a no-no -- froze and hurt my nose instantly.

My eye lids also seemed to get frosted from my breathing, so I had to wipe that away every once in a while so I could see. I tried to wear sunglasses, but they would fog up from my breathing.

So, obviously, it isn't possible to do all out sprinting in this weather, but I was still able to get a respectable workout in, as shown in the graph captured by my Forerunner 405 -- which I am also very thankful still works in arctic temperatures.