Training for the cold

[mycrofft]

On another forum I have started monitoring, there is much talk about "training so you can operate in the cold" (in this case, during obstacle races).
Having a recent crash course (or "cram" course, as we were cramming people into heated ambulances and into space blankets or our own outerwear) in hypothermia cases, here are some observations*:
1. Most of our pts were short and skinny, but many other short&skinnies didn't succumb.
2. Many of our pts wore Underarmor and not much else
3. Few of our pts had eaten real food , most had either skipped breakfast, or had some sort of shakes, bars, drinks, smoothies, etc.
4. Some said they had been running in the cold to "get used to it" but most didn't know what I meant about "training for the cold". Of course, they had to stop their teeth from chattering (literally) to speak and had a tendency to back up into the bonfire unless warned.

I have a belief about training for the cold....it's in your head.

It increases your self-confidence and familiarizes you with the physical sensations so it isn't quite so scarey. It also winnows out those who cannot work in the cold like that. (I don't mean failure to gradually adapt to moderate seasonal changes, but being physiologically unable to operate when wet, tired, it's windy, etc. ). I do not think you can literally train your physiology into that of a polar bear, but learn that you can warm your head and core and the limbs will follow, how to dress and eat,keep moving, etc.

Thoughts?

*Also drawing on experience from USAF and Guard training and missions in Midwest and east slope of the Sierras.

 

[mycrofft]

PS: many leg cramps amongst them as well.

 

[camau71]

Having recently returned from several years in Lamoille, Nevada (elevation at my house, right at 6,000 feet) Temps in the winter usually stayed in single digits, but would drop to -20 F, at least once a year.

At 20 degrees we stopped training animals. During this time I was competing in the Firefighter Combat Challenge. We stopped training outdoors on the high intensity stuff, because with air that cold cooling you from the inside and sweat loss from sweating in turnouts, maintaining core temperature was a challenge.

If you're talking about running something like the Mudder in cold weather, good luck. The nature of the race is run a bit, stand around waiting at an obstacle (usually wet to the bone), then start again.

When I did training in the mountains behind my house in winter, it was usually at a controlled pace on snowshoes. I would pack a thermos of warm water and stay hydrated (and warmed) for as long as possible. I found that black silk long johns worked well when temps were in the teens, but went to fleece, including face mask and a pair of thin inner gloves and another pair of, heavier fleece gloves over the thin ones when it got really cold, which helped wick away sweat and kept me warm at temps below 0.

Not sure if this long winded post helped, but good luck just the same.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Maybe I'm adapted to it but I've never had a problem. With that said most of my hobbies involve deep snow in remote areas. I've also lived in cold weather my whole life so maybe that has something to do with it?

It's going to depend on the activity but proper layering is key. Staying dry is the goal but that's not always a possibility.

 

[CANDawg]

It's going to depend on the activity but proper layering is key. Staying dry is the goal but that's not always a possibility.

Agreed. It's all about the preparation. You need a good base layer, and money does tend to serve you well here. Some of the pricier options are lighter but provide better heat containment. Then just build up from there, ensuring your last layer is water resistant.

It's better to be overdressed and be able to take something off than underdressed and be freezing the entire time.

Experience with the cold is also helpful! Don't expect to spend your entire life in Phoenix and be able to be as efficient in the cold as someone from northern Montana or Canada.

 

[shfd739]

I've wondered the same thing: how do you train for being wet and cold?

Using quick drying apparel would seem to help you get dry faster. A lot of these races have you swimming and soaked at some point in the race. A trick ive learned is to put hot coffee or cocoa in an insulated camelbak bottle. Instant warmth as needed.

It seems some people tolerate cold better.

 

[mycrofft]

Experience with the cold is also helpful! Don't expect to spend your entire life in Phoenix and be able to be as efficient in the cold as someone from northern Montana or Canada.

Would you say that is due to selection or adaptation?

I remember in Nebraska each year we had the "January Summer"; a few days of sun and calm would arise with no Siberian Express, temps would get up around 20F, and students and other YOUNGER people would appear in T shirts, sometimes shorts, and play frisbee bareheaded and handed in the snow.

 

[mycrofft]

Having recently returned from several years in Lamoille, Nevada (elevation at my house, right at 6,000 feet) Temps in the winter usually stayed in single digits, but would drop to -20 F, at least once a year.

At 20 degrees we stopped training animals. During this time I was competing in the Firefighter Combat Challenge. We stopped training outdoors on the high intensity stuff, because with air that cold cooling you from the inside and sweat loss from sweating in turnouts, maintaining core temperature was a challenge.

If you're talking about running something like the Mudder in cold weather, good luck. The nature of the race is run a bit, stand around waiting at an obstacle (usually wet to the bone), then start again.

Not sure if this long winded post helped, but good luck just the same.

Thanks. I spent a short visit to Green Valley Lake near you (San Bernardino Mt's, 7,000 ft) one winter and hiked the Crab Flats fire road. Very majestic, and really foolhardy, did it alone.

Yes, this thread was triggered, not by Tough Mudder (although I will be supporting those when they return here) but another company's race.

 

[CANDawg]

Would you say that is due to selection or adaptation?

I remember in Nebraska each year we had the "January Summer"; a few days of sun and calm would arise with no Siberian Express, temps would get up around 20F, and students and other YOUNGER people would appear in T shirts, sometimes shorts, and play frisbee bareheaded and handed in the snow.

Adaptation, but over the course of a few winters.

The first cold snap of each year everyone, acclimatized or not, finds it hard. Those who have been through similar winters before find themselves used to it after a couple days, whereas people new to such temperatures find it hard all winter.

The other note is that people who live in cold environments prepare for it out of habit. They don't have to remember to give themselves extra time, dress in layers, plug their car in, etc. It comes natural the second they see the frost on the trees or the snow on the ground. People for whom it is new either have to consciously remember these things on a constant basis or face being significantly uncomfortable and/or delayed.

As for the shorts in 20F/-6C, that's just a relativity thing. When you have a sudden warm snap, the change makes it feel more comfortable than it actually is. We just got such a warm snap here, going from -20C/-4F to 0C/32F in a day. I found myself running errands in a summer jacket without much of a thought. If it had been the other way around, 20C/68F to 0C/32F, I would be breaking out the balaclavas.

 

[mycrofft]

I knew people who left Nebraska as soon as they could after their first winter. That's what I meant by "selection". (Oh, and some died each year due to MVA's, snow shoveling MI's, bad woodstoves).

So it is mostly technique and equipment not "Be the Musk Ox!". (Training song: "Eye of the Penguin").

 

[wildrivermedic]

So it is mostly technique and equipment not "Be the Musk Ox!".").

And, as you posited earlier, attitude. Not musk ox stoicism but the ability to make adaptive changes and stay somewhat cheerful. Rigid mindset and rigid musculature = more suffering in the cold. Relaxation and acceptance = less.

(just got snowed in alone for 10 days... lots of time to think about the topic.)

As far as equipment goes, I'm gradually changing out my synthetic base layers for merino wool starting this year. It regulates temps really well when going from strenous activity to sitting around, and I've noticed no drop in performance when wet. Worth the money.

 

[mycrofft]

Sounds good.
When we got hit by our first hypothermias, I threw my down vest on some of them. After about the eighth one the vest was sogged with mud, but they still reported it gave them some warmth. I have a doubt polyfill would do that. We had either merino-lined or polyfill field jacket liners in '75 and I think they were about equal marching to and from fire school in the snow and wind.

Congrats on your snow-in experience and its conclusion.