Katy Trail: A Lion in Winter

If I’ve noticed one thing since I moved to Texas, it’s that you all really don’t care for winter. (Other realizations: 1.) “barbecue” is not interchangeable with “cookout”, 2.) I should’ve paid more attention in high school Spanish, and 3.) you sure like to drive everywhere.)

As soon as the thermometer hits 55, the winter coats come out, cocoa is made, and people start complaining about their bones aching. Nowhere is this more evident than the Katy Trail. Place is a ghost town. What happened to layering up? Throwing on a winter hat and breathing in the cold air?

Texas, you’re great, but man up and hit the trail. The treadmill can only get you so far.

By Bradford Pearson Dec. 7, 2011 | 10:21 am | 6 Comments | Comments RSS
6 comments to "Katy Trail: A Lion in Winter"
  1. 1Zima2Many @ December 7, 2011 at 11:18 am
    I totally agree – and I’m a lifelong Texan. When I went running this morning it was 26 degrees. It felt awesome. Ten times better than 70 degrees and humid.

  2. Bradford Pearson @ December 7, 2011 at 11:22 am
    Zima- There are more people out there when it’s 105 than when it’s 35. Maybe it has something to do with beach season?

  3. Kelli @ December 7, 2011 at 1:00 pm
    I’m a cold weather runner, and the temps don’t bother me. Much prefer it to the August heat. But maybe some people are taking recovery time after White Rock?

  4. Logan Soileau @ December 7, 2011 at 4:24 pm
    Different people prefer different temperatures…i can run all day in sweltering heat, but i can hardly stand it when it gets below 60. That’s just me. I will still get out and run, but i definitely start mixing in the indoor workouts by the time October gets here.

  5. 1Zima2Many @ December 7, 2011 at 8:35 pm
    Actually, it’s not just a matter of personal preference. Countless studies have shown that once the temperature gets above about 55 degrees, running economy (and therefore performance) begin to degrade significantly. It has to do with a whole lot of factors like blood being diverted away from the muscles in order to cool the skin, etc. Logan may personally be more comfortable running in heat than cold, but unless he’s an unprecedented miracle of human evolution, there is no way his body can run better in “sweltering heat” than in 30 or 40 degrees.

  6. Logan Soileau @ December 8, 2011 at 4:00 pm
    I’m female…and maybe, physiologically, running in the heat is not optimal for me, but i still happen to prefer it. It feels better to me. I run 5ks, 10ks, and half marathons. I’m not an elite runner.

Leave a Reply