Half Marathon #2 here I come.

I am training for another half marathon. I am so excited I can't even tell you. I have felt like my running has taken a back seat of late and I haven't been feeling very motivated to get moving. Kyle and I were talking last night and I proposed that we try and run the Hypothermic Half in February. It is 13 weeks away. I was beaming while we looked up training plans and my excitement for running mounted again. I guess I needed a goal. The plan we picked includes cross training which I thought was wise as we are still transitioning to minimalist running. Yesterday was a strength and stretch day and today was the first official running day. I am super excited to have a plan again, I don't follow the plan to the letter but like having something to shoot for.

Today's run was 3 miles. I decided to run this morning because Kyle was going in late and we are out Tuesday nights. I started out at 6:30 am, it was still dark and quite cold -14C (7F). The run felt great. I felt like my form was more relaxed and overall just enjoyed running. I was running 1.5 min/mile slower than before but I figure I can add speed as I progress. I forgot to take a picture with all my gear on so I decided to lay it all out on the bed to show how much I was wearing to keep me warm. Now it may seem like a lot but when you go from 60% body fat to 18% you feel the cold so much more.

In the picture I have my Bondi Band Ponytail Hat, Energizer Headlamp, Spibelt, Running Room Mittens, Icebreaker Flexi Chute, Nike short sleeve technical tee, Paradox Base Layer long sleeve shirt, Yoga Jacket, Running Room Coat, Paradox Base Layer Pants, MEC Mercury Running Tights, Injinji Socks, Running Room Socks, and Deep Sea Beach Walker shoes.

Wow what a lot of stuff just to run. I'll tell you that I wasn't too warm, my legs were cool but just about right, my face was warm although I pulled the Flexi Chute off of my mouth and nose, and my upper body was warm but not over heated. I am sure that I will need to find a better solution with perhaps less pieces for once it gets colder. I tell you I wear more clothes to run than I wear all week long. So tell me what are your essential cold weather running items? Now that I am signing up for the half I know I'll be spending a lot more time out in the cold than I am used to and I want to be prepared. Also anyone else running in Hypothermic Half?