the return of tights - or, confronting an early winter :(

i finally put on tights to go running yesterday - argh. it's not that i have a problem wearing running tights when it's cold out - but, psychologically, putting them on for the first time at the start of a new winter season is tantamount to capitulating to the arrival of COLD - argh again! every day still in shorts is a moral victory. mentally, once the tights are on, going back to shorts before spring is on the horizon is a tough call.

so yesterday's 8.5 miles was nothing special in the way of training - but a bittersweet milestone that winter has arrived very early this year. on the other hand, while i don't remember it as an especially cold winter, i did switch over to tights around thanksgiving last year! pushing it back to mid-december, by comparison, is a big improvement this time around.

on the topic of winter running, i also wore mittens over my gloves yesterday. in extreme cold weather (especially in windy conditions) i always use a base glove together with a mitten. the double pair keeps my hands comfortably warm (the one downside is having to deal w/the ipod). given the line layer of snow that covered the post road, i also wore an old pair of trail shoes to improve my footing.

yes, cold weather running has finally arrived - brrr :(