Any advice for cold weather running?

Blogathon post 19/30

I need to be prepared for the upcoming Rhodes Ultra and that means I need to be prepared for very low temperatures. Much lower than I am used to. I like the winter and love running in the cold, but running in temperatures of less than -10°C (14F) with the possibility of snow is new territory for me.

How do I dress warm enough without being too warm? The race starts with a very hard 21km climb. This will surely work up a sweat. Then I will be hit by the ice wind on top of the mountain. I need to be geared for this. I have never run in snow and the coldest run I’ve ever done was -7°C. And that was a dry, windless -7°.

So what do I wear? The lower body is easy. I have some great second skin tights and I will wear my trusted Nikes and socks. No problem there. I am not sure about the upper body though.

What type of jacket/wind breaker will be best? Water proof or just wind proof? I know water proof jackets can become very warm during exercise.

How many layers? The top layer must obviously be easy to take off and put back on again if needed. It must also be easy to carry with me while I’m not wearing it.

My current plan is to wear 2 x long sleeve tech shirts over a short sleeve tech shirt under a water/wind proof jacket. A buff for my neck and mouth, beanie for the head and ears and of course gloves for the hands. I got great Nike gloves for Father’s day.

I think this should be fine. Any ideas or recommendations?

Technology Tuesday

Blogathon  post 18/30

Technology has become such an integrate part of my life and I must admit I have mixed feelings about this. I am a bit of a technology geek, but at the same time I don't like the way technology has taken over our lives.

That I say while writing for my blog, something I would not have been able to do without technology. I use technology all day, every day. Whether I like it or not, I run a huge part of my life with technology.

My trustee Samsung computer...one of 4 I use, 3 of them daily.

I have embraced the reality of social media and social networks. It took me some time even though I work in the IT industry and have been a computer geek since 1987. I am now connected...everywhere and all the time.

My trustee Samsung S3.

I have a large network of friends and colleagues. Somehow I must keep it all together and connected. This is not always easy and takes some doing at times. I must admit it is not always easy to remember who is connected through what or who knows each other and who likes running and who I only know from work or school or whatever else forms part of this network of mine.

My trustee Samsung S3 Mini.

I am certainly dependent on the devices on this page to help me with all of this. Actually they do more than help me.They are part of my daily life. Like it or not that's how it is. Technology is here to stay.

My trustee Samsung Galaxy Note 10

Now, what camera do you think I used to take the photos above? :)

For the other half that drives and motivates me

Blogathon post 17/30

As I sit and think about today's blog I think about what motivates me and what keeps me going. I see myself as someone with drive and lots of things to do all day every day. That's on top of what this blog is all about...my running.

As I sit here I realise that I will not be able to do what I do every day without the other half of my life...my wonderful wife Anette.



Today's blog was going to be about some of the things that drive and motivate me. My thoughts could not go further than Anette because she is what drives and motivates me. Without her I would not be able to do what I do. She is the force behind me.

 



This is for her, for always being there and supporting me in everything I do. Thank you Anette! I love you with all my heart.

 

 







My encounter with a Mongoose

Blogathon post 16/30 - guest post by my wife Anette

As you all know Johann is currently participating in the Blogathon and asked me to write a story as a guest. Well, I gladly accepted the invitation.

So I had a few thoughts around what I would like to share such as:

• What is a dilemma?
• What is the purpose of blogging?
• Maybe about a midlife crisis

And then yesterday I was walking on the trails while Johann was running in preparation for the Rhodes Challenge, I had the encounter with a Mongoose. During this encounter I thought this is what I would like to share with you.

We started off just after 09:00 in the morning and my thoughts wondered around the work, the kids, the family, politics and just life in general. I noticed the birds singing and chirping, the sky a perfect blue, seeing a few planes. Other than that, nothing really significant!

 On my way back I saw the grumpy Black Wildebeest Johann wrote about yesterday in a distance. Then literally a few meters before I completed my walk, the mongoose was sitting on the trail, scratching some fleas and grooming his tail.

 I stood still to observe him. I was certain the minute he noticed me he was going to run for “safety”. However, he just stayed put. I started moving foot by foot slowly forward not wanting to give him a fright. Eventually he ran into the bush, but not too deep because we stared each other in the eyes. I told him he was a magnificent animal and walked on.

It was about quarter past eleven while waiting for Johann in the car to finish his run that I noticed the little bugger walking across the entrance with no fear. I grabbed my phone and took photos of him. He posed like my daughter in front of the camera. He came closer and I got a “photo shoot” of him from all angles.

Once he was sick and tired off all the attention, he ran off. My eyes following him, he ran across the field. There he met up with a mate and they were very playful with each other. What really astouned me was his fearlessness. I suppose that is the story of his life, enjoying the sun, friends and freedom.

I always want a moral of a story and for me this one was that fear holds you back and limit you. I love the lessons nature teaches us!

On the trails!

Blogathon post 15/30

This morning I was out training on the trails and I was reminded again why I love the trails so much. I've said it before, but I got that feeling again...this is where I belong! With all the challenges I have lined up and the Rhodes Ultra that was thrown into the mix yesterday, I have to get my trail feet in gear very quickly.

I ran on my favorite trails in the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, 11km south of Johannesburg. It was a perfect winter morning with bright sunlight and blue skies.

This is a great place to get some technical runs in. There are trails with all kinds of terrain here. Some easier and very runable, some very technical with great rock hopping sections. There are also quite a few steep climbs and descents. Training here prepares me very well for the trail races I do.

There is also good game spotting on offer and this morning I had a Black Wildebeest snorting at me, scratching and stomping the ground. He was really grumpy!

This fellow was very grumpy today!

All in all a great run and I'm already looking forward to my next run there. Nothing beats running on the trails!

I want to share this quote that my brother left in a comment on yesterday's post: "Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second!"

Have a super weekend everyone!

A Pleasant but Scary Surprise

Blogathon post 14/30

This morning I got a nice but also somewhat scary surprise. I finally get a chance to go and run the Rhodes 52km Ultra Marathon! I've been on the waiting list of this race for many, many years.

I'm still on the waiting list, but I can run as a substitute for someone who wants to sit out this year. Awesome but what is the scary part...?

The race is on 6 July! Yes, that is 4 weeks from tomorrow! High altitude on a very hard trail in very cold conditions with some very hard climbing. That is what Rhodes is. Probably the coldest race in our country. Most years the race is run in snow and some years the course is changed because of harsh conditions.The average temperature at the start of this race is -10°C (14F).

So I am very excited but also very scared. I am not in top condition and will rely on my base fitness a lot. But there is no way that I am letting this chance go by.

Time to put some emergency plans in place...because Rhodes, here I come!

I'm a morning runner

Blogathon post 13/30

I’ve always been a morning runner and can’t see myself ever changing that. Since I can remember my dad always ran early in the morning. When I was at school and university he used to tip me out of my bed somewhere between 4 and 5 AM every morning. I was not amused but it seems to have stuck with me and I still get up between 3:30 and 4:30 AM for my morning run.

The best part of it is how great I feel afterwards. The whole day is so much better if started with a morning run. The knowledge that I’ve done my training for the day is always motivating. Nothing can happen during the day that can interfere with my training.

I must add to this that I am also lucky to live in Johannesburg. This means I can run outside throughout the year, including winter. We do have very cold mornings with temperatures dropping below freezing, but it is still very manageable. If you dress warm enough winter morning runs are really pleasant.

So I’m a morning runner for life. It is in my blood in the same way that running is. Without it my life is missing something.

When do you prefer to do your running?