Thank you to those of you who signed up to receive my little newsletter! It means a lot and I promise to attempt to provide you with some quality reads from time to time. 

This week, some tips on cold weather running, a meditation, and some opportunities! 

Also, if you are interested in past newsletters, you can find them on the website here. 

"Wisdom is the clear seeing of the impermanent, conditioned nature of all phenomena, knowing that whatever arises has the nature to cease. When we see this impermanence deeply, we no longer cling; and when we no longer cling, we come to the end of suffering." 

- Joseph Goldstein, Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom

I've spoken a bit about my relationship with impermanence, how it shaped my thoughts and experiences from a fairly young age and continues to do so today. Contemplating and understanding deep time, the changing landscapes and evolution of terrains and organisms; that nothing is static in our world and within ourselves. And this negligible pinpoint on the geologic time scale in which we occupy will pass without fanfare and without memory to those who occupy this earth even a few generations beyond us. 

The concepts of impermanence and interdependent nature of phenomena often use the pendulum as an example in the ancient wisdom of Taoism and Buddhism. On the surface, the pendulum is a solid object that swings back and forth on a clear path - very simple. But the pendulum is not a static object much like any other phenomena in the universe. Pendulum motion is determined by two dominant forces - a simple harmonic and a dependence upon gravity. The mathematics of pendulums are quite complicated - and while I would love nothing more than to spend the morning re-learning the equations myself and sharing that with you, I will refrain. (I love mathematics almost as much as geology and would have double majored if not for that required second year Spanish class - ha! Folly of youth.)

Ruth Bader Ginsberg spoke about how a great man once said that the true United States symbol is not the Bald Eagle, but the pendulum. And when the pendulum swings far in one direction, it will come back. We may not like the position of the pendulum - but stay present and know that it will change. We can look into the past to gather an understanding of timescales of change. And science can help us understand rates of change in the physical world that have occurred in the past and predictive models (based on past and current data) can provide extrapolations for future conditions.

Humanity is a more complicated modeling experiment, especially forward looking. Ultimately we don't know the timescales for a change in direction - cultural changes may not manifest during our lifetimes or even the next generation's lifetime. Climate change, even if all the resources of the world were put towards mitigating the effects of human caused greenhouse emissions and the resultant warming, is unlikely to swing in the next thousand years, and if current attitudes persist, it's likely to be millions. Nevertheless, the Earth will persist. 

Sounding dire? Yes. It is. And embracing impermanence and the idea of constant change, does not imply we should throw our hands up in despair citing a lack of empowerment or settling into apathy or nihilism. A return to the present moment, not projecting into the future (a fantasy that invokes unmitigated runaway worry), taking steps to acquire knowledge if knowledge is needed, accepting the situation in the moment and planning for possible scenarios ahead. Embracing tragic optimism, developed by psychiatrist and Nazi concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl, which is the idea that one can find meaning and purpose in life, even in the face of suffering because they can maintain hope and optimism even in the most difficult circumstances. 

These philosophies, while developed at different times over the last 3,000 yrs (Taoism was developed ~6th century BC, tragic optimism - V. Frankl, in the 20th century), all revolve around impermanence, which is fundamental to all aspects of life. Applying this as you see fit to whatever you are facing, positive or negative, provides a grounded approach to navigate your brief time on Earth with integrity, clear values, compassion, gratitude, peacefulness, and ultimately a more fulfilling and meaningful path. 

A rare selfie of coach M on a bitterly cold morning in 2020, likely tackling her self induced 20x20 in 2020 challenge (run a 20 miler every week for 20 weeks- spoiler alert, I made it to 20 x 18- a story for another time).

Most people that know me, know that I am the queen of cold. Wind chills well below zero, wind gusts over 80, snow, rain, ice - no problem. Likely I have some genetic advantages here, I have also lived in the mountains for over 15 yrs (and before that at elevation in NM, and originally from northern Indiana - where it used to be quite cold). Now- place me in the heat and I wither. I spent several years in Hawaii during my PhD and needless to say, it wasn't pleasant for running - luckily I wasn't doing a whole lot of that being buried in books and Mars data analysis. ha! 

However, as I have gotten older, I will say that the cold seems to infiltrate to a larger degree. And I don't mean just being cold and uncomfortable and generally "not enjoying it". I mean lack of blood flow where the inability to feel or use my hands or feel my feet start to make frost bite a real serious concern. Have previous long exposure cold stints caused some minor frost bite and therefore I am more prone now? Perhaps. I know I've had some real doozies and there is some evidence that one can become more sensitive and prone to reoccurrences. And, as a coach, everyone has slightly different "set points" or thresholds to cold (as well as heat). So I always encourage a self reflection here and never a "one size fits all" approach to whether you should or should not run in the cold. 

So, here is some general guidance that I have provided to my athletes and hopefully is helpful to those of you facing very low temperatures this winter. 

1) Know yourself! There are no rewards for stupidity! Okay maybe a Darwin Award. Ha! But consider your past experiences in the cold, wind chill, and exposure on your route. Everyone has a different "limit" - which means gauging by temperature and wind chill may not be sufficient. The American College of Sports Medicine uses below -18F (-27C) as a general rule of thumb to avoid running outside due to possible tissue damage in 30 mins or less. Now that is pretty cold! Other issues that one needs to take into consideration: asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Raynaud's syndrome, low body fat AND recovering from illness especially in the upper respiratory tract - all make one more sensitive to the cold and can damage sensitive lung tissue.  

2) If you have intensity in the session (intervals, speed work, hill repeats, etc), consider moving the session inside to a treadmill or skipping the "work" and run easy. Cold temps restrict blood vessels and therefore restrict blood flow which can cause muscles to contract or even cramp. Stiffness and tightness is common and if you try to force a pace or an effort, you can absolutely damage a muscle. So allow ample warm up time and consider skipping the harder efforts. This is also VERY important if conditions are icy/snowy and footing is poor. No intervals are worth a broken tailbone! 

3) Know the signs of hypothermia and frostbite! If your body temperature falls below 95 degrees; signs can include confusion and uncontrolled shivering. Frostbite occurs when blood flow is restricted in extremities (hands, feet, nose, ears) and the signs are feeling numb and turning white and blue. 

4) Hydrate! Given the cold, you may not feel the need to drink - but your body is still sweating and while fluid requirements may be a bit lower (lower sweat rate), it is still needed. Now, a common problem is freezing bottles and hydration tubes (I once did a long run where the tube from the hydration pack was frozen within 10 mins - so every 20-30 mins I would stop, open the bladder and drink directly from the pouch. Not ideal! But if you want to get the job done- you have to adapt to the circumstances!). You can also find thermal insulating sleeves for many bladders,hydration tubes, or insulated bottles. 

5) Dress in layers, consider the wind and moisture, and protect your face. I think this is pretty self explanatory but i do somewhat believe that there are no "bad" conditions, just bad attire- that is especially true for the cold. Neck and full face gaiters are your friend. Contrary to what you may see on the socials- this is not a fashion show! For your hands- I really like using a thinner glove with a hefty mitten overtop OR using a cross country skiing style split mitten. Mittens offer more heat exchange between fingers and cross country ski attire is developed for athletic pursuits in very cold temperatures and can be used for those running in similar conditions (same for socks, pants, thermal layers, and jackets). 

6) Pick up a pair of microspikes or other traction devices. One can also place hex screws into their shoes if they want a more permanent solution. I tend to like actual spikes vs. the yaktrax- which aren't sufficient on steep mountain roads with a 100+ lb anatolian. I need LEGIT traction. So consider your terrain. The microspikes take some getting used to, so start easy and cautiously. Catching a spike causes a very jarring near tumble (or full tumble- it happens!) but it also forces you to pick up your feet and get out of the shuffle. Some resources say to shorten your stride- sure, if you are running in slippery conditions without added traction, this can be helpful. I will always say- just stop and walking the icy sections. Again- no hero awards here. 

7) While I don't condone single use and "throw away" - if you are dead set on a run and the conditions are very cold, I have used hothands thermal hand warmers and they were/are magical. I did a quick search and there may be some reusable products available now. And I read a review (which now I can't find) on advancements for heated cycling gloves - which could be used for very cold run conditions as well. Here is an example.

8) Consider your route. When conditions get gnarly- don't put yourself in a situation wherein if things should get bad you are miles away from your house or car, you are either calling for help or finding yourself hitching (okay, maybe most of us aren't going to hitch anytime soon). While I am generally not a fan of loops (unless they are LARGE encompassing the entirety of my mileage), they are obviously a safer option. And you can use this as a "refuel" option as well as opportunity to swap gear/clothing if you need more/less or a change due to dampness - staying dry in the cold is absolutely necessary. Sweat and wet clothing can chill the body more rapidly accelerating heat loss. A dangerous situation in low temperatures. Also, choosing a route with more protection from the wind if wind chill is an issue can really change the conditions. So trees (as we have always known) are your friends, sheltered areas and sometimes canyons (of course those can also act as wind tunnels- depending on wind direction), but generally avoiding open and exposed areas where you have no protection from the wind. 

9) One last item. Since many of you reading this have used or continue to use heart rate as a guide, know that you may not see typical readings at your normal effort level. Cold temperatures cause blood vessel restriction which leads to blood flow restriction, and usually resulting in increased blood pressure - even to the point of hypertension in some individuals. In that regard, typically one would see elevated heart rate - because your heart is having to work harder to pump blood at your "normal effort or pace." However, if you go by feel, it's going to feel harder at slower efforts and therefore you may not see an increased HR. I have typically seen HR suppression on very cold runs, but my overall pace is also slower (I never have pace on my watch- guidance for another time, but looking at the data afterwards). The other aspect which plays a role is that because your muscles are colder- they take longer to warm up if they warm up at all and therefore may not require as much blood as they normally would (so heart isn't required to work as hard). Now the trade off is if you force the effort, force the pace- muscles may constrict and cramp, but if they don't and you can literally muscle through to achieve your "normal"-you may see an increased HRs - again, because the conditions are more challenging to the body. Overall, going by feel is key to not over stress the already stressed system.

10)  Lastly- after your run, get out of your wet clothes immediately and get warm. Also rehydrate, refuel, and get your recovery in! 

February Free Seminar: The seminar for February will be focused around understanding and using Training Peaks to support your training (and general health) journey. I've been using Training Peaks since ~2011 as an athlete and ~2013 as a coach. Much has changed in the last few years and I wanted to provide an opportunity to learn much of the bells and whistles, BUT also simply some fundamentals that can make it work for you. Not everyone wants to data deep dive, but maybe you want to save some sessions, move some sessions, add some goals, etc. I'll do an overview and then open it up for questions. Again, the seminar will be recorded if you can't make it live and I'll send the recording out to those that register. Free to everyone! 

Date & Time: February 18th, 4-5 MT. 

Registration link: Zoom registration

Coaching Discounts! I know most people reading this are already coached or self-coached and not looking to be coached, but if you know of people that may be interested in working with a coach- I'm offering discounts on many of my services through the end of February (duration is 3 months for everything except the performance plans -  big savings!). So if anyone you know has been on the fence- I'd be grateful if you sent them my way! 

One to one coaching - 20% off either Level 1 or 2

Crew run or multi-sport group coaching - 20% off 

Velocity virtual live and on-demand cycling membership - 50% off (starting in early February - I've had to delay due to kickr issues- sigh). 

Personalized Performance Plans - 10% off, one time purchase. 

Much of this information is on the website under the "coaching" tab or feel free to drop me an email (mikki@cordilleracoaching.com) or book a call with any questions. 

* To my current athletes- see my message in slack for your own discounts! 

With the recent changes to the Meta platforms (and full disclosure, I deleted the Book of Faces months ago and haven't missed it once), this cynical scientist who already has an aversion to social media, is likely going to be on Instagram less and less. I haven't yet investigated BlueSky (let me know if you have and what your thoughts are), but I am going to get back to writing again on substack. This will be mostly musings on science, physiology, training, psychology, mindset/meditations, and health-related stuff.

And I am going to start a subsection on my own "training" again. Akin to those old school training logs that I kept from middle school through when I started using training peaks (yes, I have ~2 decades of training journals from my youth somewhere). Training Peaks is GREAT for the data and analysis, but there is something about writing at the end of the day and the self reflection that it brings that I want to explore again. I'm not signed up for anything, races or rides, I have some "home grown adventures" that I'm mulling over. And maybe a misogi challenge. I am also not in the shape that I would like to be anymore- not necessarily for racing but for general adventure. So I am looking to rebuild to some extent. But I also plan to continue to prioritize hiking and adventuring with my dogs. So- it may be pretty boring. But if you are interested you are welcomed (and invited!) to follow along. (I will also be exploring metabolic efficiency, ketone supplementation, MAF, lactate testing, strength building, and a whole host of other training components that work for me, I enjoy, and I am interested in from a science perspective). 

That's it for this week. I appreciate your support. If you found anything useful in this newsletter and think someone else in your life would benefit, would you forward them this email? They can subscribe on the website using the link below! Many thanks and stay warm! 

~Coach M.