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Friday, December 21, 2012

Fitness Friday ~ Cold Weather Gear? ~ 12/21/12




First, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to join in the "13 in 2013" challenge.  You can see more information under the "13 in 2013" above.  You'll also be able to see what events I have lined up for myself so far.  Just yesterday, I decided to participate in a "60 Miles in 60 Days" virtual event to support Kelly Gale in her endeavor to raise enough money to participate in the "60 Miles in 3 Days" event to support Breast Cancer Awareness.

Now on to my main topic.  I need some major advice on cold weather gear.

I was going to do my winter exercising at a gym but there are so many cons that I think I might nix that idea.  The cons are:

1.  It is a 30 min drive one-way.  That means I'd be wasting 1 hour of my day just driving.
2.  I would be paying a ton of money out in gas.
3.  Membership fee is $75 and then an additional $65/month.
4.  The gym is so busy first thing in the morning that I would have to wait until mid-morning and then my whole day is shot!
5.  Mid-morning is also the prime time for little old ladies and I hate feeling the urge to knock them off the machine I want to be on!  I'm so horrible!

So anyway....  I thought if I take all that money I'd be spending on gym expenses and put it toward some good cold weather gear, I'd save in the long run.  Time, money, aggravation...

Here's what I'm thinking I will need:

1.  Some kind of clothing that holds in the heat.
2.  Earwarmers (I'll be making my own over Christmas break.)
3.  Some good shoes.  (Not my normal Wal-Mart specials.)
4.  Music player.  In nice weather, I love just listening to the birds, the water etc, but in the cold I need something to make the time go faster and keep me moving.

I really don't know what kind or what else would benefit me, so I need major help from all the experienced cold weather walkers/runners.

One benefit I love about my little neighborhood, known locally as "Hollywood", is that the perimeter is just slightly over 1 mile.  I basically have a 1 mile track right outside my front door.  But, I'd love to have some kind of training schedule.  Are there any good resources out there that I should know about?

I'm trying to get my 2013 plan situated.  It starts off right away on January 1st with the "Resolution 5k" that I signed  up for.

Thanks in advance for any tips and advice you can pass along to me.



3 comments:

  1. Def good shoes! Think layers. A base layer that fits close to the body to hold in the heat and an outer layer.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Agree with JIll plus a windproof layer, mittens and good socks. I just wrote a couple posts about winter running and snow running gear :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Funny - I wrote about this last week. Think layers with ways to vent if you start to get too warm. I found lots of great options at Target. Kohl's not so much but still good choices. Target has a good assortment of hats and mittens.

    Spend your money on the shoes if you're on a budget like me. It's worth getting fitted at a running store and using the right shoes for you.

    ReplyDelete

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