Images : Courtesy Carla Farina , Ingird Hauger , Nicky Booyens |
The other day , the Ed and I were chatting about ideas for this latest column , and the first thing he said to me was , “ Carla , I ’ ve seen a number of your posts on Facebook about early morning winter runs in recent weeks , and you ’ ve looked really cold in most of them . I ’ m sure you must have some cold misadventures to write about …” He knows me well ! I actually think I have been lucky this year : Up until recently , we ’ ve had the warmest winter I can remember in a long time . I mean , I didn ’ t wear long pants until around mid-May or so , and let me tell you , if there is anyone who hates the cold , it ’ s me . Give me a month-long heat wave rather than ten minutes of running in the cold !
Ironically , I ’ ve always liked to think of myself as a rough and tough , hardcore ultra-trail runner – that maybe I ’ d even make a cool anime character , or something like that – but when the cold hits , I may as well be an extra in an episode of Barney , hugging my blankey , because then I ’ m the least hardcore adventure girl you could get . And boy oh boy , have we had some cold mornings recently that challenged my ideas of myself !
It all started with the 103km Pondo Ultra at the end of May , which I wrote about in my last column . Maybe that just jinxed my luck , but after being rained on so hard for 10 straight hours , to the point where your fingers do that weird wrinkly thing , it seemed it was a sign of things to come this winter . Fast-forward a week or two and the cold hit us in Joburg like a 24-wheeler , to the point where the real feel on one of
Ski gloves and a puffer gilet to keep the winter blues away
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Spot the freezing Carla in this stealthy race start pic …
my recent morning runs with my cousin Robyn was minus-seven degrees . Like , actually , what is that ? I don ’ t think we are supposed to even go outside when it ’ s that cold , let alone run ?
Winter Survival Tips
But , to preserve the tough image that goes so well with my reputation for falling on the trails , getting dirty and getting lost , I thought I ’ d best make a plan to fake it until I make it , and pretend I ’ m not slowly dying inside when it ’ s cold … which brings me to this ‘ special edition ’ of Trail MisAdventures : Carla ’ s Guide to Cope with the Cold . It ’ s a simple plan , but listen carefully , because this is all vital advice :
• Wear gloves . In fact , no matter how dorky you look , wear super-thick ski gloves .
• Thermals are not meant to be worn alone . In fact , they don ’ t even count as a layer , you still need at least five layers , excluding the thermals .
• Learn how to use a buff to cover your face and ears at the same time . Doesn ’ t matter if you look dorky , it ’ s still better than frozen ears , or a frozen nose . Neither is recommended !
• Puffer gilets are a gift from the gods . But remember , they take around 10 to 14 business days to dry after being washed , so make super sure you only wash them after said cold spell .
• It ’ s coldest just before the sun comes up , so you either need to run at 5:30am and be done by 6:30am , or you need to wait until at least 8am . If you start at 6:15 and are running just as the sun rises , you will freeze !
• Always make sure that your friends ( cough , cough … Ingrid ) snap photo evidence of how
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cold you are at the start of a run or race . ( Stealth photography may be required .)
• Always go uphill . Downhill is colder . Bonus : You ’ ll get stronger from all the hill training .
• Make sure that everyone around you knows how cold it is . Mention it ( at least ) once every kay or two during the run , because misery loves company .
• Last but not least , it doesn ’ t count if you don ’ t mention the severe cold in your Strava notes after the run !
Post-run Anti-freeze
There ’ s one more vital piece of information that I have to mention , even though some of you probably already know this : Remember that the best way to recover from a freezing run – and trick yourself into doing it all over again the next day – is make sure you immediately find a post-run coffee that is so good that it makes the entire process seem worth it . So that you can do it again the next day !
PS : Now that I have divulged my little secret about not being as tough as I pretend to be , please can we keep this between us ?
About the Author
While Carla ’ s ‘ day job ’ is Head Tennis Coach and Director of Tennis at Game Set Match Tennis in Johannesburg , her second love is trail running , which she tackles with an unquenchable thirst for adventure , a never-saydie attitude , and a healthy sense of humour about all the misadventures that befall her on the trails !
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