There is a chill in the air

One of my least favorite parts of running in the winter is after the run. I get very very very cold after some winter runs. My fingertips are the worst of it. Every once in a while, my fingertips get so cold that they turn white and go numb. Not fun (or smart) if you need to hop in your car and drive somewhere. I am not sure why it happens, but I think it has something to do with temperature regulation. I find it is worse if I got from outside to inside without cooling down first (maybe because your body is confused and thinks you need to be cooled down). But it also happens if I stay outside too long. Interestingly, my hands and feet stay warm while I am running. As soon as I stop, it's a completely different story with my hands.

I am making progress on keeping the finger numbness to a minimum. If it's above freezing, I can get away with bundling up in several layers and walking for a bit. It is not unusual for me to put on 2 layers of fleece, my ski jacket, a hat, a pair of lined warmup pants and 2 pairs of gloves. If it's below freezing, I go inside, change out of my sweaty running clothes immediately, get into warm dry clothes, put my ski jacket on, make a cup of hot coffee (mmmm coffee), and walk around inside while sipping the hot coffee. The hot cup helps my hands to warm up. The caffeine helps my muscles to feel less tired.

One of my most favorite parts of running in the winter is dressing up like a ninja. Speedy ninja runner.


I go through so much laundry in the winter, due to all the layers. I sometimes wear things twice. Gross? Maybe. But if I didn't sweat too much in it, why wash it? I have 3 pairs of winter tights and only do laundry once a week. You do the math.

Laundry pile of a winter warrior. This is from one long run last winter. See if you can spot: 2 pairs winter tights, 1 pair pants, 1 fleece pullover, 1 jacket, 1 pair arm warmers, 2 shirts, 1 baseball hat, 1 lightweight hat, 1 fleece headband, 1 lightweight balaclava, 1 pair gloves, 1 pair socks, and my running shoes