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greenberetTFS · 11-26-2010, 16:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by lksteve

I've done PT a lot of cold places...Devens, Toelz, and Fort Wainwright AK...in Alaska, the division surgeon was of the mindset that outdoor running shouldn't take place at temperatures below -30°...

When we ran, the uniform was a wool balaclava that could be pulled over the nose and mouth region, BDUs, and for most of us, polypropylene undergarments...I wore light weight polypro, as the heavier stuff made me too hot, even at -30...the biggest issue we faced was accelerated wear of our running shoes...at extreme cold, it felt and sounded like we were running in wooden shoes...for hand protection, we wore trigger finger mittens...

we ran long and slow at temps below -10. No sprints, no 6 minute mile paces...we started out slow, a jog not much faster than quick time...after about a mile, we picked up to an 8 minute pace or so....we never got very fast, but would run about 5 miles...the last half mile or so, we returned to the pace we started at and marched at quick time for about five minutes or so after finishing...we stretched as usual before and after the run...the thing about cold weather training is pace, taking things easy...it takes a long time to warm up in very cold weather, but you still need time to cool down...

And if you have snowy weather, cross country skiing is a better solution...you'll work muscles you didn't know you had and it isn't hard to pick up on a flat surface...snow shoes are a good investment and they work even more muscles than skis...if you live in an area with a varied climate, you need to adjust your workouts to the weather...

lksteve,

-30,that's really cold!.......-45 in Hoenfels,Germany,we were called out to do the airborne shuffle,no mask just our regular headgear........They did say it was at least 7 miles....... Yeah,I know it sounds like BS,but when we quit and got to our barracks we had guys with frostbite on their faces and feet........ This all because our Team Leader wanted to prove how tough ass we were suppose to be.......

Big Teddy