Please raise your hand if you're sick of me talking about my flashlight. Okay, everyone can lower their hands now. Last time...I promise.
I found this velcro strap lying around and decide to see how it worked at holding the light on the back of my hand. It's awesome. I found that when carrying a handheld bottle in one hand and the light in the other, I struggled a bit when it came time to fiddle with other things (zipper, gel, bio break, etc). The picture makes it appear bulky & uncomfortable, but it's not at all. It also helps my arm to keep a more natural running motion while the light stays focused on the trail.
I'm really glad I figured this out now while I still have a lot of dark running ahead of me.
Another thing I learned last weekend...to fill my bottles with hot water when heading out for a long run with temps in the low 20's. I filled up both handhelds with two scoops of EFS powder and hot water. Heading out the door at 5:00 am, I carried one bottle while having the other stashed in my empty hydration pack. At first it felt a little funny to have heat in my hand, but it took a good hour in the frigid temps for it to cool down (at which point the bottle was almost empty). When I took the second bottle out about 1:45 into the run, it was still hot. This may not work for everyone, but the warm grape drink was actually pretty tasty.
>sick of me talking about my flashlight
ReplyDeleteNo, in fact a couple of times I've been in the store looking at compact flashlights and wondered if pipe insulation would fit around it. lol.
I've been filling with warm/hot water also when the run is over a certain length. Great idea. I tend to get cold quickly and it helps keep the core temp up.
Are those mittens?
Nice MtnRunner! I've got an extra 3' of pipe insulation if you need any!
ReplyDeleteI got these Saucony Ulti-Mitt gloves this fall. I liked the idea of having my fingers covered by an extra layer if it was cold/windy...but was skeptical it would work to keep them warm. Surprisingly it works very well at retaining heat in there. I used to double layer gloves when it was really cold. When you don't want the extra layer, you can stuff it in a pocket on the top. Here's the link:
Saucony Ulti-Mitt II
I dig the lighting system.
ReplyDeleteAnd so with you on the Mitt Gloves. I've been running in various pairs over the past few years and that thin mitt layer works wonders on them nasty days.
Am I reading that you ran 40 miles today?
ReplyDeleteHey GZ - Yeah, I ran two 20 mile loops (or at least that's what I call them) on the trails around my house. I wasn't thrilled about a training run of that distance, but I wanted to try some fueling stuff and in previous 50's, the miles between 28-36 were where I really struggled. Bandera is in 4 weeks, so the timing seemed good to go for it.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas...thanks for sharing. And dang! 40 mile training run...not too shabby at all!
ReplyDelete