Even though today was colder than yesterday (low 20s) I was so worried about being overdressed, I made a concerted effort not to be. So with one long-sleeved technical shirt under my windproof jacket and a single weight pair of yoga pants, I head outside into the crisp, sunny morning.

The rule is — you should feel a little bit cold when you start out or you are overdressed. (I have tried this rule on a number of occasions, and I am frequently wrong.) I was a little bit cold when I left the house today. I made it to the end of the block and realized I was not going to warm up enough, so I went back home, added a short-sleeved shirt over my technical shirt, and went back out. Perfect! Though my face was cold, I was determined not to use a gaiter today.

The streets were pretty clear and dry, so I did not have to worry much about ice and snow. Still, it was a little bit difficult moving my legs as fast as I wanted to. They just would not go faster. In addition, my heart rate would not go above 144 — probably because I could not move my legs faster.

I adjusted my route so that three loops around the big block was a little bit farther than yesterday’s workout and I ended up being out for 51 min.

Here are things I learned today: I did not need the gaiter, though I would have liked it for the first 30 mins. Two shirts under the jacket was enough when one shirt was heavier than a standard technical shirt. I needed  to wear either my thermal pants instead or a pair of leggings under the yoga pants. I am pretty sure one of the reasons I could not move my legs faster is because my legs were just a little bit too cold. The shoes I wore today were a little bit stiffer than the Chinese racewalking shoes and I think that might be the other reason I couldn’t move faster — I was not very efficient rolling my feet.

It’s not a good idea to work on speed every single day anyway, so the fact I couldn’t go faster is not really a concern. I probably should have stayed out a little bit longer so I could say my long day was actually somewhat long. (51 min is not very long.)

Despite the few minor negatives, overall it was just a really good morning to be out in the sunshine walking!

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