Wind: 10 mph
Humidity: 70% (moderately high)
Terrain: Rolling to flat
Distance: 3 miles (plus 3 mile bike ride)
What I Wore: T-shirt (off-brand from a race) and shorts (Brooks), plus a visor and one leg sleeve.
Did It Work: It feels like cheating to say yes because this is pretty much perfect running weather but, yes, it did. My hands were cold during the ride, but were fine on the run.
Why: 60 to 65 degrees is not too hot - as long as you're well hydrated, your body's internal thermostat can keep up (data shows that temps above 65 degrees slow a runner down). It's not too cold - you don't have to wear heavy layers and your muscles warm up fairly easily. It's just right for a T and shorts.
Sun Alert: If you were slacking over the winter, it's time to pick back up on the sunscreen habit. Brace yourself; I'm about to get a little preachy/informative.
Real sunblock will block UVA and UVB rays. It will probably be white, not clear and smelling of coconut. It should be at least spf 30 and, to get the full sun protection factor, you need to use a lot. According to my dermatologist (also known as my freckle monitor), sunscreen manufacturers say that you need to use FOUR shot glasses worth of block if you want to get the full spf rating on your entire body. She also recommends against spray-on sunblock because it takes more than most people want to apply for it to work. I like Neutrogena with helioplex (no, I don't know what that is but I like how it sounds). For my 30 minute run, plus 15 minute bike ride, I wore spf 60. Better safe than prematurely aging with an increased chance of skin cancer! Backup for all this scary stuff from the NYTimes here.
On that peppy note, signing off. Enjoy that perfect weather. Happy running!
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