ReNe: running in the fall

Went for a run today, the first since the weather suddenly turned cold (that is, <15 deg C).

It was complicated. I had to *plan*. Now that sun sets at around 5:20, I'd have to be back home and start running at 4+. I don't have many days that end that early, actually, the only day I can be back home by 4 is Wed. Then, there was the matter of clothing.

I don't have any cold weather running gear from Singapore, of course, though I recently got a microfleece vest from the thrift shop. With the back pockets, it was obviously meant for cycling. But no pants. So, clad only in shorts, a lyrca long-sleeve and microfleece vest, I ventured out in about 12C weather.

It wasn't so bad; the running actually kept me warm enough, though extremities like ears, nose and toes felt frozen. Interestingly enough, the areas exposed to the cold wind (back of hands, front of thighs) turned reddish after a while, then subsided. The microfleece vest did an excellent job in protecting my front from the wind. There were quite a number of people out running at the park today, and I noticed that I was one of the least warmly dressed. About half wore pants of some sort and the other half wore basketball shorts (nobody here, it seems, wear running shorts). Some had sweaters on, about half had a beanie cap or something with ear flaps, which I think is an excellent idea, and some had gloves, which I also think is an excellent idea.

I'm used to running in the heat, but running in the cold brings all sorts of new sensations. After a while, the body core warms up, so that's fine, but as mentioned, the end bits like toes gets progressively colder and colder, which started to hinder my gait. You know the sensation of trying to walk when your feet has gone to sleep? It's a little like that, though not the same; you can't feel *exactly* where your feet are, particularly at the toes. Another complication is the extremely dry air. When I first got here, I always felt parched after a run, now I'm more used to it, though the weather has become much drier lately. Humidity levels outdoors hovers in the low thirties, even high twenties, right now. What this means is that I'm glad I don't have a habit of breathing through my mouth when I run. The cold, dry air also means that I get home *quite* dry after a longish workout (40 minutes?), something I find rather unsettling. I mean, even in an air-conditioned gym, after 20 minutes, I start to sweat a little.

I could exercise indoors at the gym on medical campus, but it's really much nicer to run at Forest Park. I stay about two and a half blocks down from the biggest city park in the US, and right now, the fall foliage is starting to really come in. It's all very lovely.

It's not only about the changing colors of the foliage. St Louis is really a very sunny city, and the skies are often, literally, cornflower blue, stretching cloudless horizon to horizon. Since St Louis is sub-urban, often, there are not many tall buildings that would interrupt your view as well.In contrast, Singapore has a dense cloud cover; perhaps one view might be cloudless, but if you turn around, you'd probably see a cloud. Days that are truly cloudless are very, very rare. Here in the Mid West, it's the other way around. The blue of the skies look different as well, a lighter, cleaner blue. And when the greens, yellows and reds of the trees are backdropped against such a clear blue, it's truly gorgeous.