Over the last week of rain and cold weather I’ve had a lot of time to be cold and wet. Anyone that has raced with me will tell you that it almost always rains when I’m on the course (who else gets rained out of

Moab twice?) Through all of this I have learn a few things about racing and training in the cold and wet. Being a nice guy I thought I would share some it.

First and foremost – you are going to have to get use to the idea that you ARE going to be cold. There is nothing that you can do about it, so suck it up. The question is not whether you will be cold, the question is how cold will you be and will it impact your performance. Being cold is OK, being hypothermic is a problem.Understand what makes you cold. Water against the body sucks the heat away from it. Wind takes heat from the body as well. Wet and windy at 45 degrees can be much worse then a dry, calm 32 degrees. It is keeping moisture off the body and protecting it from wind that will keep you from getting too cold. Insulation is the third part. Holding the body heat in is the goal.You have to have a good attitude about it. If you are cold, everyone else on your team is also cold. Complaining about it only makes it worse. On the other hand, if you cross over that line into hypothermia, you need to let your teammates know so you can get some help.Keep key areas warm. Your head, neck and hands are most important. Most of the heat goes out of your head and neck so have something to cover them up. A Buff, as thin as it is, works really well. A shower cap over a bike helmet is another light weight item that will help keep your head warm. Cold hands can be very painful and prevent you from actually doing things with your hands. Having good gloves and a spare pair when the first gets wet is a good idea. I have been playing with using surgical gloves under other gloves. It works OK but my hands sweat a great deal so I’m not totally sold yet.Don’t over dress. It’s better to be a bit cold then too warm. Once you start running or climbing you will sweat which puts water against the body. That sucks the heat away. You should be cold at the start. Your activity will warm you up. If your comfortable at the start, you will over heat and get wet from the inside. Keep moving. Stopping is what gets you cold. Do everything you can to keep moving. If you have to stop, do jumping jacks or run in place or anything you can to keep your body moving and therefore warm. Carry heat packs and remember you have them. At Gold Rush I carried them but forgot I had them. Anyway, a chemical heat pack on the neck, chest and/or under the arms will keep the body core warm which will help keep everything else warm.I have not found anything that is waterproof if it rains hard and long enough. Just understand that no matter how much money you pay, 12 hours in the rain equals getting soaked.I have yet to figure out a way to keep my feet warm. Ever since Raid the North Extreme I have had trouble keeping my feet warm so maybe it’s just me. Bootees and waterproof socks help but my feet still get cold, even if they are dry. Another suck it up situation.Learn how to use your space blanket. When things get bad your space blanket can be your best friend. First make sure you have a new one. If it’s been in your pack all year, it will not work, won’t unfold and will be worthless. Spend the couple of bucks and carry at least two good new ones. If you are really wet and cold, strip down and wrap the space blanket around your bare skin. I put the middle at my neck then wrap it from either side around my chest and around my back. Then put your wet clothes over it. Although it feels strange it will help keep the water off of you and the heat in. It really saved me in

Canada. I recommend trying it in practice one day. Knowing how it works and how to put it on will really help when you are fighting with the space blanket in the pouring rain at night when you half frozen. Anticipate when the weather will turn on you. We all like to travel fast and light. But having an extra layer at 2 in the morning can really make a difference in how well you move.Keep an eye on your teammates. If you’re cold, so are they. Make sure they don’t get so bad that it becomes serious. Hypothermia is serious. One of the biggest problems is you just get stupid and make poor decisions. Work together to make sure you don’t get to that stage. Especially keep an eye on the navigator because his/her decisions can make a huge impact on the entire team. I once was so cold I missed an obvious turn that lead the team 8 miles and 800 vertical feet down the wrong way. It was raining in LA (of course) and it lead to a DNF.I recommend reading “Hypothermia Frostbite and Other Cold Injuries” by Gordon Giesbrecht Ph.D and James Wilkerson M.D. if your are doing expedition racing. Understanding the problem and knowing how to deal with it will not only make your race a better experience but could help you prevent something bad from happening – like a DNF.

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Over the last week of rain and cold weather I’ve had a lot of time to be cold and wet. Anyone that has raced with me will tell you that it almost always rains when I’m on the course (who else gets rained out of

Moab twice?) Through all of this I have learn a few things about racing and training in the cold and wet. Being a nice guy I thought I would share some it.

First and foremost – you are going to have to get use to the idea that you ARE going to be cold. There is nothing that you can do about it, so suck it up. The question is not whether you will be cold, the question is how cold will you be and will it impact your performance. Being cold is OK, being hypothermic is a problem.Understand what makes you cold. Water against the body sucks the heat away from it. Wind takes heat from the body as well. Wet and windy at 45 degrees can be much worse then a dry, calm 32 degrees. It is keeping moisture off the body and protecting it from wind that will keep you from getting too cold. Insulation is the third part. Holding the body heat in is the goal.You have to have a good attitude about it. If you are cold, everyone else on your team is also cold. Complaining about it only makes it worse. On the other hand, if you cross over that line into hypothermia, you need to let your teammates know so you can get some help.Keep key areas warm. Your head, neck and hands are most important. Most of the heat goes out of your head and neck so have something to cover them up. A Buff, as thin as it is, works really well. A shower cap over a bike helmet is another light weight item that will help keep your head warm. Cold hands can be very painful and prevent you from actually doing things with your hands. Having good gloves and a spare pair when the first gets wet is a good idea. I have been playing with using surgical gloves under other gloves. It works OK but my hands sweat a great deal so I’m not totally sold yet.Don’t over dress. It’s better to be a bit cold then too warm. Once you start running or climbing you will sweat which puts water against the body. That sucks the heat away. You should be cold at the start. Your activity will warm you up. If your comfortable at the start, you will over heat and get wet from the inside. Keep moving. Stopping is what gets you cold. Do everything you can to keep moving. If you have to stop, do jumping jacks or run in place or anything you can to keep your body moving and therefore warm. Carry heat packs and remember you have them. At Gold Rush I carried them but forgot I had them. Anyway, a chemical heat pack on the neck, chest and/or under the arms will keep the body core warm which will help keep everything else warm.I have not found anything that is waterproof if it rains hard and long enough. Just understand that no matter how much money you pay, 12 hours in the rain equals getting soaked.I have yet to figure out a way to keep my feet warm. Ever since Raid the North Extreme I have had trouble keeping my feet warm so maybe it’s just me. Bootees and waterproof socks help but my feet still get cold, even if they are dry. Another suck it up situation.Learn how to use your space blanket. When things get bad your space blanket can be your best friend. First make sure you have a new one. If it’s been in your pack all year, it will not work, won’t unfold and will be worthless. Spend the couple of bucks and carry at least two good new ones. If you are really wet and cold, strip down and wrap the space blanket around your bare skin. I put the middle at my neck then wrap it from either side around my chest and around my back. Then put your wet clothes over it. Although it feels strange it will help keep the water off of you and the heat in. It really saved me in

Canada. I recommend trying it in practice one day. Knowing how it works and how to put it on will really help when you are fighting with the space blanket in the pouring rain at night when you half frozen. Anticipate when the weather will turn on you. We all like to travel fast and light. But having an extra layer at 2 in the morning can really make a difference in how well you move.Keep an eye on your teammates. If you’re cold, so are they. Make sure they don’t get so bad that it becomes serious. Hypothermia is serious. One of the biggest problems is you just get stupid and make poor decisions. Work together to make sure you don’t get to that stage. Especially keep an eye on the navigator because his/her decisions can make a huge impact on the entire team. I once was so cold I missed an obvious turn that lead the team 8 miles and 800 vertical feet down the wrong way. It was raining in LA (of course) and it lead to a DNF.I recommend reading “Hypothermia Frostbite and Other Cold Injuries” by Gordon Giesbrecht Ph.D and James Wilkerson M.D. if your are doing expedition racing. Understanding the problem and knowing how to deal with it will not only make your race a better experience but could help you prevent something bad from happening – like a DNF.

Sphere: Related Content