Lesson Learned from Cold Marathon

[windwalker]

Staying comfortable in the bitter cold.

I just returned two weeks ago from doing the Goofy Challenge at DisneyWorld. Several of you went with me and did the half, full or Goofy. We froze! The problem with Disney and many of the larger marathons is that you have to be in the staging area for a couple of hours before the race even starts. Including wait time may of us were in the cold, unprotected except for the clothes on our backs, for over 9 hours.

Almost everyone took off their heavy layers once they took off and got warm. Problem is, a marathon is a long race, as you get nice and sweaty, you also get soaking wet from the sweat. Once your wet the cold air and wind begins to make you feel cold, even though you are moving and burning calories. Those athletes that stripped down to shorts and just a thin shirt, once they had that initial warm up, were off the side of the road hunting stuff that others had thrown off so they could put something on and get warm.

I was unprepared for being cold for that long. I have done training walks several times with my walking group in temperatures as low as the teens. The difference is we don't stand around very long before we start and we usually are done within an hour to and hour and a half. So even though we are soaked with sweat we are quickly warmed up in our cars on the way home.

Once clothes get wet they don't insulate you from the cold like they did when you were dry. I wore a pair of Nike dryfit gloves, medium weight. They work fine for my cold training walks but once they got soaked through with sweat my hands were freezing in them. Layering matters with gloves also.

I took a trip to Gatlinburg after Disney and picked up some nice stuff from the hiking stores there. I bought two hoods, a light weight and a medium weight. That covers the ears and also that exposed skin of my neck. I bought a pair of light weight dryfit gloves to wear under the medium weight gloves so I would get a layering effect. I tried the light hood and glove layering this week on a 19 degree 6 mile walk and was very satisfied with the protection.

It's not hard to layer on your upper body by wearing several shirts, starting with a tech layer first. Then ending with a wind proof shell. But if you neglect your hands, neck and face you are going to be cold during a long event in the cold.

Next time I race a long cold event I will be better prepared and have a more comfortable and much warmer time of it.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

 

[windwalker]

Please share lessons you learned during this cold weekend of racing.

Dave

 

[GBBTomorrow]

I learned that I look fabulous in a trash bag!

Also, I learned that I need to find a way to keep my feet warm before the start. My trash bag and layers kept me comfortable from the ankles up, but with shoes being ventilated the way they are and not wanting to wear extra socks for fear of blisters, my feet were pretty numb by the start. They did warm up after a mile or two, but it would have been a lot more comfortable waiting if I'd had something to keep them warm

Anybody have a solution for that?

 

[Steffwalks]

I learned that foot injuries hurt more after standing for hours in the cold.

 

[goofyinohio]

Great Topic Dave!

I learned to properly use that bag they give you to check. I was properly dressed/prepared for the race, but not after the race. Doing Goofy after the half I had nothing to change into after being in that cold with rain/sleet/snow and I froze. Day two I had another pair of gloves, a hat, a shirt and a Hoodie.

I learned I should have used a Poncho on Saturday when at some point it went from a light snow, to a heavier sleet/rain. I would have been sweaty, but I wouldn't have been soaked (and yes I actually had the poncho in my pocket, duh.)

Day two I should have brought a poncho for the waiting. Right before getting into my corral I saw someone throwing one away and I immediately grabbed it. It warmed me up pretty quickly.

Just a few things that come to mind....

 

[bunnyfoo]

I don't really layer too much when I run at home and our temps go down fairly low. But like Dave said, I also don't stand around for an hour outside before I go running and I'm usually inside within minutes after finishing my run. Next year, I'll try packing a fleece blanket or bringing back the mylar wrap I got at the end of the race this year. I would also pack those hand warmers since my hands tend to get cold.

I'd like to know what I can do when my shoes and socks get wet. I did the half so it was just uncomfortable but if I was doing a full I'd probably be miserable by the end.

GBBTomorrow - Maybe try putting duct tape on your shoes and then removing them. I do this when it gets really cold outside. Or you could get those instant heating packs and then remove them before the start.

 

[joan4mickey]

I didn't do the race, but could you use foot warmers in your shoes and take them out shortly before the race begins? For that matter, there are other warms i.e. for the body areas, could they be used pre race and then discarded?

 

[Scott H]

Layer, Layer , Layer. Plan for the long haul, and don't leave you good winter gear at home in Wyoming.

 

[dislvr74]

I did the half and found that handwarmers in my gloves were a life saver! As an added bonus, I put them in my pocket when my hands got too hot and then they were a nice heat pack for my aching hip flexor. I put them back in my gloves after the finish when I was in the bus line from h*ll. (What was that all about, anyway?) I'm glad I had a poncho and I wore it most of the race. I think I would have been much colder without it.

 

[groovygirls]

Second the layers!

I had a fleece blanket that I got from Target the day before the race (twin- cut in half- use for 1/2 marathon, the other for the full). Best $10 I spent all weekend. Handwarmers, foot warmers, hat, headband, and most important to me was a neck gator. I had two of everything. All clothes should be wicking material.

I also put pins on all my layers so that when I did get too warm I could take things off and pin them to my shirt. When it got too cold again I had easy access to my hat, gloves.... I was going to wrap a shirt around me but I never got warm enough to take a layer off!

I had compression tights and a thicker layer over that- I was warm enough. I had smart wool socks- a little on the thicker side. I hate having cold feet and they stayed warm.

Second the clothes in the bag post race. The worst part was waiting for the busses!

Next year will be amazingly nice!

 

[Kira G.]

Dave - great idea for a thread! We can capture this info for the future.

I ran the Marathon only, and actually prepared pretty well, and felt (mostly) comfortable before and during the race. One thing that really worked was I added a fleece layer at the last minute, which I thought I was going to be handing off to my family at AK. Well I took it off a few minutes before I saw them, and froze because I was sweaty - I put it back on, and kept it on until the end. It was a lifesaver in some of the windier areas.

Another thing that worked was bringing a scarf. It was a pain since I had to keep adjusting it, but it kept my chin and cheeks warm before the race until the sun came up, when I finally tossed it. I would have been miserable without it.

Finally, I thought my gloves were going to be throw-aways. Nope! I did keep taking them off, but I tucked them in my fuel belt and every few minutes I put them back on again. On/off, on/off for hours! My hands just never warmed up. I am so glad I trusted my instincts and did not toss them.

And those handwarmers were awesome!

 

[DJC123]

So glad we looked at the forecast before arriving in FLA. We packed appropriately. The only thing I would have changed was that I should have packed a change of clothes on the Saturday after the race. I was rushing, so I didn't. I was so cold waiting for the bus back to the hotel. I did however, bring a change of clothes for Sunday having learned my lesson.

On marathon day, I was wearing 1 wicking tee, the donald shirt, the mickey shirt, and my running shell. A headband to cover my ears, gloves, a baseball hat, 2 pairs of leg tights and 2 pairs of socks. As well, I had running blanket from the day before. I kept my clothes on for the entire race, and was still cool. So glad I brought the clothing with me. I suppose a good pair of wool socks would have been better than two pairs of sock combined, but I was still ok.

I have to say, it was the coldest race i have ever run in....and I'm in Canada. lol the cold weather in FLA (when it hits) feels much colder than the air here....goes right to the bones.

I couldn't imagine running in shorts, etc like some of the runners out there. Brave, brave souls they are....I get the shivers just thinking about it.

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

I learned I REALLY don't like being cold

But also the glove thing, on the half my hands got so cold I felt like throwing up, I layered up for the full!

Oh and if its cold get someone to drive and pick you up because waiting for a bus for over an hour in wet clothes in sub freezing temps will make you sick!

 

[windwalker]

On the making you sick part, I woke monday with a cold and it took 2 weeks to get it out of my system.

Dave

 

[Sandy321]

I didn't do the race, but could you use foot warmers in your shoes and take them out shortly before the race begins? For that matter, there are other warms i.e. for the body areas, could they be used pre race and then discarded?

I had purchased these - I decided the foot warmer may give me a blister, so I took them out -

the hand warmers were great in my pocket and in my gloves - I'd take them out of the gloves as needed - another plus it kept my blox from getting too hard - nice soft chewy great!!

in the bag check I put in the body heat thing - that one was too weird, it had a sticky back - so the air didnt get in long enough to really activate it!

Pockets!! to keep my gloves and my gel stuff in! I hate running in the summer when I dont have pockets!!

I knew my coat was a Land's End water and wind resistant so I layered appropriately - only I didnt listen to that voice and doubled up on the long underwear - which I couldnt discard - I ended up discarding my hat to let some of the heat escape!!

My shoes and socks did stay dry - so I didnt have that issue (but mostly it was the training in the Chicago area - not much of a temp difference! )

The worst part was there was no "meets" at the end of the race! JUST A HORRIBLE STUPID bus line from H...! I saw so many shivering from what looked like hypothermia! Stupid on the race part - all those empty busses waiting in line!

With so many layers - I couldnt FIND WISH very easily!! and if you did you just wanted to somehow get warm!!

 

[escape]

I really lucked out this marathon weekend. I (mostly) did everything right...for me. Being a walker, I was out on the course longer than most (but, I didn't have to stand around as long as most).

For the Half:

1) As others have said...layers.

Legs: 1 pair of long tights, 1 pair of running capris on top​

Upper Body: 1 semi-tight fitting long-sleeved tech shirt, short-sleeved WISH shirt on top and a light-weight Nike windbreaker. In addition, a $1 rain pancho with hood. It kept all of this on throughout the race. Never got hot.​

Throw-away upper body: On top of my rain pancho, I wore a fleece jacket that I purchased for $3 at a Goodwill store and THANKS TO ANNE - a quilted vest with hood from Wal-mart that cost $5. That vest was the icing on the cake. I took it off right before we started. I took the fleece jacket off about 2-miles into the race. It was nice; I hated giving it up. Also, can you say Roly-Poly? I wish DH would have taken a picture of me in all that garb.​

Hands: Throw-away loose, cheap goves. My hands tend to get hot quickly. I took them off after a couple of miles, put them back on, took them back off, etc. For next time, under these same conditions, I will get a pair of light-weight tech gloves and put these cheaper gloves over them. My DH did this. He also put the hand-warmers in between the two pair of gloves. Worked like a charm for him; my hands would have been too hot, though, with the hand-warmers.​

Feet: In addition to normal shoes and socks, I wore Wal-mart store bags over my feet until the race started. I also had on duct tape over part of the ventilation areas. This worked out really well. DH wore feet warmers and discarded them before we started.​

I really think the rain pancho helped me tremendously. Kept my clothes dry and allowed me to retain some warmth but still allowed for some ventilation.

For the Full:

Same get-up except that I used a long-sleeved flannel throw-away shirt ($2 at Goodwill) instead of the fleece jacket. Thanks to Anne again, I had another sleeveless quilted vest with hood that really kept me warm up to the start.​

Oh, and another difference...Thanks to Anne...I used arm warmers (cut up tube socks). I discarded those after mile 13. I also had on a felt/fleece green scarf that Anne cut up. That was to identify us as a WISHer since our WISH shirts were covered up. ​

2) I stayed at the Polynesian.

I normally stay at Pop or similar. However, since I was doing the Goofy, I thought I would splurge so I could be at a monorail resort. Luckily, there was a discount in the price. For this race, it paid off, somewhat. We didn't have to leave our hotel until 4:30-4:45. We got to the start line on both days in plenty of time. I don't advocate waiting this late to catch a monorail, but it worked out for us. Therefore, we didn't have to stand around a long time before the race started AND we didn't have to wait in a long line for a bus to return back to the hotel.

 

[Bookwood]

I wore winter weight tights for the half with a wicking shirt- covered by a huge hoodie- which I kept on the whole race. I also wore a headband (which I ended up tossing somewhere just before epcot) which I'd worn on and off during the race I also kept gloves (little knit stretch dollar ones) which I took off and put on periodically. The hoodie weighed about 10 lbs after the race and the mylar blankie felt good but I didn't feel like I froze after the race. We only had to wait for one bus but I did think some of the spectators could have let the runners sit down on the bus instead of stand. I had a huge trash bag too that I got rid of at about mile 1 or 2

 

[Mark214]

From past Disney races, I learned not to listen to the annoucements at 4am telling you to head for the corrals. For both the 1/2 and Full, I waited in the Merchandise Tent where it was fairly comfortable. I did not leave the tent until after 5am and never waited more then ten minutes in the corral. I was in Corral A so I did not have to wait long after the the start of the race to get going.

As for being prepared, I run in cold and knew about how cold it was going to be in Orlando so I brought my disposable layers, including a trash bag, and hand warmers.

 

[VernRDH]

What I learned at my first Disney race:

1)layers, layers, layers. I think I had 4 or 5 on top, 2 on the bottom. 2 on my head. Moisture wicking materials are so totally awesome and compression tights ROCK!!

2)there is no shame in picking up what someone else has discarded.

3) the bib belt was a fantastic invention and I am glad I got one. I didn't use it for storing my beans or anything, just hooked my bib on it. It was nice to not have to worry about what layer my bib was pinned to.

4)hand warmers have many uses:hands, feet, hips, lower back and they do keep your beans/blocks/gel from freezing and becoming unusable.

5) the Race Retreat was THE BEST MONEY DH EVER FORCED ME TO SPEND. FIL and I were so grateful for it, especially after the race when we were cold and wet. I would not hesitate to spend the money again, and when I run the full in a few years I will definately do it.

6)my heart was definately warmed (may have been the only part of me to be so) seeing all the volunteers and people out cheering us on. As well as the other runners and walkers who were friendly and encouraging to us slower types. As cold and wet and miserable as I was, I really felt for the volunteers who stood out there handing us water and Powerade without complaint. Its nice to thank them at any opportunity, they help make the day so special for us.

7) I am hooked and plan to do it again, this time going for record heat at DL in Sept.

 

[liznboys]

... I learned to properly use that bag they give you to check. I was properly dressed/prepared for the race, but not after the race. Doing Goofy after the half I had nothing to change into after being in that cold with rain/sleet/snow and I froze. ...

THIS! After the Half was absolutely miserable for me. I think if my dh had been there I would have cried.


One thing I did good with though was that I had two layers of gloves and I had my hand warmers (2 on each hand, front and back) in between the layers of gloves. Didn't help post race though, my body was so cold, I just needed to get indoors so badly, that's the only thing that would help. I remember getting on the Monorail and feeling some warmth..it was heavenly!