LGN Tip of the month - January 2010: ‘A Very fresh running start'
‘Ring out the
old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.’
(Lord Tennyson 1850)
Yup, new beginnings and snow, Tennyson captures the mood pretty succinctly.
Welcome to an LGN 2010 fresh running start.
‘It was the wrong kind of snow’ (Explanation for British Rail disruption in 1991)
Well it looks like the snow
may be around for much more of January and with world leaders in Copenhagen
possibly failing to limit the global temperature rise, it is safe to say you
will still need to plan your wardrobe for running this winter.
To help you, LGN have come up
with a three point action plan to help you consider what to wear while running
in this inhospitable weather:-
Our catchy 3 step plan can be
summarised as follows;
Layer up, stay dry
& keep warm
Or for those who prefer
mental imagery Onion = Sahara = Summer Childhood Memory
And for those who prefer
visual cues….
= 
= 
Onion = layers
Sahara = dry
Summer Childhood memory = warm
The facts
The goal of cold-weather
clothing is to create a “micro environment” that conserves heat while providing
adequate ventilation to prevent moisture accumulation.
Its success depends on using
fabrics that insulate well and do not readily absorb moisture. How well a
material insulates relates to how much air is trapped within the fibres.
Whether the material absorbs or transfers water is especially important,
because wet clothing greatly reduces insulation.
Because cotton and wool
readily absorb moisture and become heavy and bulky when wet, they are poor
choices for winter activities. Polyester and polypropylene fabrics are
lightweight, do not readily absorb moisture, and wick sweat away from the skin
to allow it to be evaporated from the outermost clothing layer.
Although outer-shell garments
are often made of materials described as “breathable,” meaning they allow water
vapor to pass through them, sweating can easily exceed the vapor transfer rate,
resulting in moisture on the inside. Thus full jackets are rarely good for
running, but gilets (thin jacket minus sleeves) can be good as they act as
barrier to wind chill, but have great ventilation.
US Army Scientific
Research
And should you begin to doubt
LGN wisdom, then check out what millions of dollars of military research can
tell you -
‘An effective cold-weather
clothing system can be designed using only three layers. A thin inner layer
acts to wick moisture away from the skin, reducing evaporative heat loss. The
primary insulation is provided by the middle layer, which also transfers
moisture to the outer shell. A windproof and waterproof outer shell made of
breathable material provides protection from wind’
Coolest Race
And if you want to feel
better about a bit of frost as you leave for a weekend run, then take
inspiration from this footage of the North Pole marathon, with temperatures at
-25 it might well have the claim for coolest race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xZCwcBEjaU
Feeling inspired? Then how
about North Pole prep via London
artic tundra..?
Hyde Park 5km - 29th January Hyde Park http://www.serpentine.org.uk/pages/lfotm5k.html
Trent Park 5km - 30th January Trent Park http://www.trentparkrc.org/handicap.asp
Love Run 10km - 13th February Battersea Park http://www.actionduchenne.org
Hotelympia 10km - 28th February Docklands http://www.hotelympia10k.com
Happy running, layer up and
make it happen in 2010!
The LGN team
www.lgnwellbeing.com
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