Another Snow & Ice Bath

We had some unexpected snow overnight Sunday which put sufficient of the white stuff on the ground to enable me do the snow bath thing again. As a warm-up I did a short 7k shirtless run first thing in the morning in quite slippery conditions. 

Temperature on the run was hovering around freezing point as I set out and did not move from that in the 50 minutes or so it took to run.  I stopped a couple of times to look at the snow laden trees as the sun broke through at dawn.  On the way back to home I made a detour to a clearing in the woods that I know would have a good depth of snow and stripped off to have a naked roll around in it.  Although cold on the skin the feeling of freshly fallen snow is quite difficult to describe.  Its like being caressed by dry water or soft foam. 

After my run I warmed up with a coffee and then set about filling the bath with 5 buckets full of snow and running cold water over it.  Once the bath was full I dispersed the ice, took the temp of the water (0C) and Set the timer for 10 minutes and got in.  I started to shiver a little at the 7 minute mark but that soon passed and before I knew it the timer was going off for me to get out. 

My hands and feet were very stiff as I was drying myself off but these seem to be recovering more quickly the more times I do this.  After drying and dressing warmly I made myself a cup of coffee and warmed up slowly while shivering quite a bit on the warm-up cycle for the next 30 minutes or so.  The shivering also didnt seem to last that long this time.  So maybe getting used to this cold water immersion really does help speed up your metabolism.  

Comments welcomed!

Brief period of warm weather

The weather has been warmer this week (i.e. above 0C) and with 3 runs under my belt including the Monday one it is looking like a reasonable week running wise. The Pond I considered doing a dip in is really looking overgrown and dirty so I have almost given up on the idea of taking a mid-run cold water dip in that for the moment (until we have more rain and it gets cleaner/clearer water in it). There was still ice on the top however so it is tempting for me to break the ice and get in.

The forecasters say there is more snow and cold weather on the way so I will keep you all informed as to how much snow we get and how cold the thermometer drops to (and whether I ran in the cold or not).

Boring week

I was away this past week with very little time to get out and run (early morning meetings and travel play havoc with running, as does staying in the middle of a city landscape with nowhere to run freely). I did, however, manage to get a couple of 1km swims in the pool at a hotel I was staying at and also to get a rare treat in the form of a massage one evening. I love massage and wish I could afford more of them.

I did a 10k run on Saturday morning in relatively warm 5C conditions compared to those I've been running in of late. Today I did a 7km run this morning in freezing fog (-1C) followed by a cold water shower of at least 4 or 5 minutes duration. The forecast is for colder weather and snow later this week so I may get my first snow run in for the season soon.

One of my blog followers wrote me an e-mail saying that he had re-read some of my earlier posts and how my early experiences with cold water were similar to his own. He also noted that some of my observations about how my body reacts to the cold were correct and how exciting that journey had been for both of us. I think I need to re-read what I wrote and discover some of that early enthusiasm again - maybe it will inspire me to do more and to push my body just that little bit further into experimenting with cold water some more.

Colder Weather coming

I have been taking things a little easier this week after competing in a 10k race last Sunday as the only shirtless runner in a field of over 200.

The race was good for me finishing in the top 20% of the field. I did get quite a few comments from other runners the best of which were:
"Now that I have seen you I don't feel so cold anymore!" and,
"You are absolutely Mental!" which I think indicated that he thinks I am totally crazy!

I may well be crazy but I still ended up in front of him at the finish line.

My two runs so far this week have been a short 7.1km circuit (both in under 37 minutes). The Tuesday one started with the temp at around 5C. Today it was -2C when I left the warmth of the house. It was a great run though - cool and crisp air with a slight breeze. No rain or snow and a great sunrise too.

The weather forecast says that colder weather and snow is on the way so maybe I will get my first shirtless snow run of the winter in very early this year with the thermometer just a few degrees lower.

A weeks worth of postings

Now the cold weather seems to be departing and making way for spring (nothing is certain with the UK weather at the moment) it seems a bit crazy to report temperatures any more. So, I guess this will turn into my shirtless running/swimming blog and log for the foreseeable future - unless something unusual happens of course. At the start of my runs last week the temperature was hovering around 0C, by the end of the week it was around 3C.

Last week as a little hectic with work. As you know I got the standard run in on Monday and then was away. No run Tuesday or Wednesday but by Thursday morning the lack of exercise was doing my head in so I did my standard 7k run on Thursday and again on Friday. Both days were less than 37minutes.

Saturday was a group run with my running buddies. Just over 9km on a relatively flat course in just over 49 minutes (could have been a lot faster). This run tends to be a bit slower as we chat along the way and generally try and keep together as a group.

Today I left my watch at home but the standard 7km run was a pleasant one with the sun shining for a change. My weight these days seems to be stable at around 66.5kg with fluctuations up or down by 0.5kg to 0.8kg depending on what I eat and drink. Is that type of fluctuation normal?