Good Gear Days

Our summertime companion, the fog, will visit frequently to our workouts. There is an Alaskan saying, “There are no bad weather days just bad gear days.” If you had to pick a place that would know about outdoor fashion Alaska would be a good place to start (as opposed to the runways of Paris – The French on adversity have a saying “it is a piece of pie” which is why one place is known for the battles between man and nature and the other is known for the battles between man and waiters).

And while we are on adages, in the running world attire there is a saying that “cotton is rotten”. Normally I don’t believe that one should dress according to a rhyme - it leads to ideas like “Bell Bottoms are awesome” or “Sequins are groovin” - but the phrase does reflect the issue of wearing cotton while running. The fabric absorbs water. On cloudy sixty degree days when you are only going to run for a half an hour this is fine, but for longer runs or adverse temperatures this means that you will be keeping your sweat close to you rather than letting it evaporate as a coolant. It isn’t very pleasant. Simply put, cotton doesn’t have much range.

The way to extend the conditions we feel comfortable to train in is to extend the gear that we use. The simplest way of doing this is layering. Being able to put on and then shed non-absorbent garments allows for a great range of temperatures. Cyclists, gear fanatics perhaps worse than Alaskans, have all kinds of layers – outer shells, arms warmers, and long sleeve jerseys to name a few. The pockets on riding jersey also make then a great way to carry food, which we will need to do when we get to our longer runs.

Of the layers to have, two of the most important are hats and sunscreen. The later of which was discussed in a graduation speech from nearly a decade ago (see below). As for hats not only do they help with sweat going into your eyes, but they also keep you significantly warm. 30% of one's body heat can be lost through the head. About 13-16% of the body's blood volume is in the head at any given time, but it is a very exposed structure, allowing it to lose heat pretty quickly. A mind is a terrible thing to chill. To paraphrase Joe Cocker, you should leave your hat on.

In short come to practices with a few layers so as you cherish the hills you can take clothes off to cool and as the sun goes down you can add them back. Learn to dress like Alaskans and relax like the French. This will lead to more enjoyable workouts. And when you get home after a very foggy evening and your friends ask, “How was the run?” you can just look them straight in the eye and say:

“It was a piece of cake.”