It's cold out there...

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This morning it was 10f (-12C) outside when I took the dog for a morning walk. I live in Texas.

I grew up in Sweden and I have spent a lot of time being cold and miserable, so much that I learned to take great care to dress for the weather. The dog and I were alone out there, and we were comfortable. In fact, I got too hot. The saying: there is no bad weather, only bad clothes, is largely true.

All the time I see people make mistakes with their cold weather clothing. A warm jacket is nice, but the critical spots are ankles, wrists, neck and head. The fashionable short socks are crazy in cold weather, and I cringe when I see runners without covering their achilles tendons.  And please, put on a hat. I like the neck scarves that you can pull up over your face and head if necessary. When it gets hot, you just pull them down. 

The predicted cold spell has made me adjust the training for the coming week. Bicycling outside is not going to happen, so I did some extra biking last week to compensate. An indoor bike trainer is of course a great choice. There is quite strong evidence that training on a stationary bike is more effective than the regular bike. I don't have an indoor bike trainer, but I have been thinking of getting one for bad weather days.

When the roads are safely drivable; I will go to the gym and use the machines for a strength session. Maybe I complement with a yoga class. It is also indoor pool time! I have a treadmill which I will use for speed training. A session with shorter intervals but at very high speed and sometimes light inclination, is a great workout. It will be a busy week.


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