Hating the Cold a Little Less with the Buff® DryFlx+ Collection

 "Disclaimer: I received a Buff USA DryFlx®+ Hat and Neckwarmer to use and review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

I'd like to think that I am a pretty open book. And for sure one of the pages would read in big tall bold letters - LISSA HATES BEING COLD!! Like really hates it. But, runners gotta run, so I begrudgingly drag my butt outside to put in the miles no matter the weather (cause let's be honest, another one of those pages would say LISSA HATES TREADMILLS!!)

I've written many a blog about how I hate the cold. Seriously, at least 2 or 3 each winter. And I am always on the lookout for something, anything that will make the freezing and below temps a bit more bearable. So I was super excited to have the opportunity to try out Buff USA's newest winter line, the Buff® DryFlx+ Collection. 

Here's the technical low down from the Buff USA website:

Featuring technical smart zones that increase breathability and targeted warmth, while enhancing active fit and moisture management – so you can focus on what matters.

• 4-Way ULTRA STRETCH
• Moisture-management
• Thermal Insulation
• 100% Seamless Woven Design
• Reflective Elements

Sounds pretty great, right? But how does it perform?

I received the Hat and Neckwarmer, both in Deep Blue. When I first received them, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to give them a proper testing. See, I live in SC and our Decembers tend to be pretty mild with the coldest temps in late January through February. Well 2020 for once did not disappoint (or did it, cause again, cold is awful) by delivering an excessively cold December. It was well below freezing way more than usual. One week it was below freezing almost every single morning when I got up! Perfect (well for testing at least).

For my first run in my new Buff DryFlx®+ gear, I broke the cardinal rule of running - Thou Shall Wear Nothing New On Race Day. But, I have worn several Buff items in the past, so I felt pretty secure in my decision. (Links for posts to other reviews of Buff gear can be found at the bottom of the page). 

Post Charlotte Half Marathon pic 

So the morning I had planned to run the Virtual Charlotte Half Marathon it was pretty darn cold. I wasn't sure I would need both, but I for sure wanted to wear the hat. And it was an awesome decision. My first thought was that it was crazy thin, so I was a bit suspect about it keeping me warm. No problem, my head was nice and toasty warm. My second thought was I was worried about over heating when the sun came out full as I started my 13.1 miles before the sun came up, but would be finishing in daylight. No worries there either! Somehow, the fabric never made me feel too hot, despite the temperature increasing a good 10+ degrees during my run and finishing in full sun. I was wearing a vest where I had plenty of pockets for stashing stuff, but never felt the need to remove it. 

The next week the temperatures were down right brutal. Most mornings I go to Burn Boot Camp at 5:30 am and on strength days, I will typically run at least a mile right after camp. This usually has me starting my run at the absolute coldest part of the day. And this day, it was 27°F!!! That is just downright disrespectfully cold for the first week of December in SC. So I added my Neckwarmer in as well. And you know what? I felt pretty good. I particularly like the way that the Neckwarmer is high enough to overlap the back of the hat so there is no gap to keep your neck and back of your head completely covered. The Neckwarmer is also designed so that it has an articulated mask design to cover your mouth and nose. I was surprised how easy it was to breath through and left the mask up the whole run. Cause yeah, it was REALLY cold! 

Not happy with the weather, but happy with a nice warm head

It worked so well, I did a bit extra running that morning.

I've also worn it on much longer runs where again, I started out super cold and it warmed up a bit before finishing and the Neckwarmer is comfy when folded down as well. Overall, I am highly pleased with the DryFlx®+ collection and am happy to have these items as a part of my winter wardrobe. 

You can pick up your own DryFlx®+ gear, or anything else from the Buff website here: https://www.buffusa.com/ Sign up for emails and receive a code for 15% off of your order.

You can follow Buff on Twitter here: Buff_USA
and on Instagram here: Buff_USA

And if you haven't followed me yet on either of those, you can find me here on 

Twitter: RunNerdGirl
and here on Instagram: runnerdgirl

The Things We Do For Running (And Chocolate)

I received entry into the AllState Hot Chocolate Atlanta 15K as a part of being a BibRave Pro. Check out BibRave.com to read and write race reviews. 

What a beautiful day

So let me get this part of of the way right at the beginning. This year's Hot Chocolate 15K Atlanta had some truly terrible weather. As a winter themed race, cold is to be expected, however, in addition to cold, the 2018 race was wet as well. As in pouring rain wet. With that said, of course that was in no way the fault of the race organizers and honestly, the race did everything within their powers to make the day as enjoyable as possible, which I really really appreciated. While rainy, it was just rain, no thunder/lightening so, as clearly communicated, the race went on as planned. The management company kept awesome communication about the status of the race right up until the start and even sent out a special email the next day thanking participants for their commitment and offering a discount code for next years race, which they in no way had to do. They really went above and beyond if you ask me.

With that out of the way, here's how it went...

Pre-race, the communication was great. In addition to periodic updates, every Sunday participants receive an email with a training plan. Pretty awesome. Like I said previously, the race was engaging participants on social media right up until the race time due to weather concerns. 

ROAD TRIP!

This race was an out of town one for me and me and my run-besty drove up the day prior to hit the Expo. We stayed in a hotel that was in walking distance of both the Expo and the start line so we had no parking concerns (unless you consider the standard Atlanta hotel parking rate of $30 per day which is a bit steep, but standard large city rate). We walked over to the Expo which was well organized and picked up our bibs within minutes of walking in. They have a really cool system where you give them a QR code that was emailed prior to the Expo and it auto prints out your details on a sticker that is placed on your bib. Genius and quick. Then you head over to get your HC jacket which is SUPER nice! I am doing another HC race, so I actually opted for the Men's shirt for the Atlanta race so I could have one of each color. There is a try on area next to the pick up so you can switch out if they sizing is off, but it was perfect so no need. 

The rest of the Expo featured your standard vendors - clothing, hydration, nutrition, other races, and so on plus a station where you could get a yummy sample of the treats that would be waiting for you on race day, a shot of hot chocolate and a marshmallow with chocolate sauce. YUM!

A Sample of What's to Come

After the Expo, Kim and I wandered around Centennial Olympic Park for a bit as it was right across the street. I love it when there are cool things to do in the area in addition to the race. The park was beautiful and it was nice to walk around after being cooped up inside a car for several hours prior. While Kim was posting pictures online, we found out her mother had purchased a commemorative brick in her grandfather's name, so we went on a hunt to find it. With some help from the park's website, we did and that was a really cool unexpected adventure. 

After, we checked into the hotel, grabbed some dinner laid out our race day gear. I secured my bib on with my handy dandy BibBoards instead of the safety  in the packets because who wants to put holes in their nice tech gear? Not this girl!  Want some BibBoards of your own? Order online at www.bibboards.com and use code #BibChat for 20% off! 

Another essential item for me on race day are my Aftershokz bone conducting headphones. I was worried about wearing them and went back and forth several times because I didn't want to ruin them in the rain, but I needed not worry as their water resistance held up like a charm. I honestly do not think I could have motivated myself through 9.3 miles of rain without music!

After getting all settled, we then hit the hay early. Since we were within less than a mile of the start line, we didn't have to leave too early, but you never know what can happen on race day, so it's better to be ready earlier than you think you need to be. 

Do we look excited? 

As for the actual race, again, wet and cold, but for the stuff that actually was under control of the race management, everything was as great as it could be. The start waves were well organized and bibs were checked upon entering your corral. I was assigned to Wave 1, Corral B, so I didn't have as long to wait to start as some of the others. My race goal was 1:30 which would be a PR of just over 2 minutes. I quickly found the 9:30 pacer and tried to distract myself from the weather by chatting with her and others in the area. The race started mostly on time (a few minutes due to Atlanta PD closing the roads) and we were off. I stayed in decent pace with the 9:30 pacer for the first few miles, but stopped at a water stop for a quick pause and was left behind. No worries, I was still well within my goal time. 

The aid stations were well spaced and had both Nuun and Water and plenty of it. The first station around mile 1.5 also had marshmallows and I think something else, but I didn't stop for them. Other stations also may have had treats, but I will be honest, I did not notice if they did as that was not a priority for me. I trying to stay focused because I knew I was shedding seconds. This was due to the course being hilly. I mean really hilly. But that is part of the Atlanta race charm. Most people know this going in. I've never shied away from hill training, so I didn't think it was too bad, but it def slows you a bit.

Before and after the race. I looked a little shocked after

The only exception was the hill just after mile 9. Not gonna lie, that one about did me in. There is a huge hill (full disclosure, it is not even the largest one, just it SEEMED bigger since it is literally in the last .25 mile of the race) and when I turned the corner and saw it, it about did me in. On a better day, I think it would have been okay, but that day, right then, that hill was it for me. I stopped, took a deep breath and then pushed myself over it though and ended just shy of my goal with a time of 1:30:51, but still a 15K PR so overall I can't be too upset. I was given my awesome candy bar shaped medal with golden peach key chain to symbolize Georgia and a race photographer snapped my picture. Photography was provided to participants for free and was available pretty much immediately after the race online.

After the race, Kim and I met up in the Mech tent and headed over for me to pick up my finishers mug full of Hot Chocolate and goodies. I chugged the HC straight down and held onto the goodies until I got back to the hotel to dry off and warm up. The race handed out the goodies covered in bags to keep your yummies dry which was just another super kind thing they did for us.

YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM

Overall, it was a great race on a terrible day. Everything the race had control over was really great. I really appreciated their efforts to make the event as enjoyable as it could be. Despite the weather, everyone seemed to still have a great time.

I also want to give a special shout out to all the volunteers who were on course both at aid stations and as marshals including the Atlanta PD. Despite the conditions, every single volunteer I ran past had a smile on their face and a cheerful thing to say. I tried to thank everyone I ran past and all said the same thing - it is my pleasure. People at aid stations were cheering for us, marshals were encouraging, several of the Police were actually singing even. As ugh as I felt running, they had to have felt worse standing still and I can't tell you how much their attitudes helped me along. Thank you race volunteers, from the bottom of my heart!

After we were warm and dry and back home, all that was left for me to do was head over to Athlinks and claim my race results which, because this was a new PR for me, I wasted no time in doing! 

It was so much fun, I think I'll do it all over again next weekend in Charlotte. But this time, let's hope for better weather. I'm going to start singing "Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day" now just to make sure. 

The Winter Running Blahs

I hate being cold. Like really really hate it. I'm the girl who wears gloves inside and keeps a space heater in her office and runs it even in the summer. So let me tell you how excited I am for going outside during the winter months for a run (Spoiler Alert: NOT VERY). Seriously, I will happily run in 100 degree temps with a billion percent humidity given my choice over hitting the road close to the freezing mark. This winter has been particularly bad for me as I got rid of my Gold's Gym membership so no more treadmill option for me.

Such great advice. I ignored & wore 3 shirts and 2 bottoms

One of my biggest challenges I have is how to dress for winter running. I have no idea how to dress  myself in a way that allows for warmth without overheating after about a mile and a half. Seriously, 2 weeks ago I did a race where the starting temp was right around the freezing mark and I took to Twitter to request suggestions. And then I promptly ignored all that advice and ended up overdressing and sweating my butt off for half of the race.


I've seen numerous guides like this one that give all kinds of awesome advice, but deep down, I am just a winter running wimp.

I have to trick myself into running in the winter by signing up for races, otherwise I would talk myself into sitting out the cold. For example right now I know I need to get some miles in today. I cannot tell  you how badly I do not want to. I have some really great excuses lined up, but it comes down to I have to get some miles in or I will fail at my upcoming races. Period.

How I plan to dress for my next races

And those races are looking to be some doozies in the temperature department. Monday I have a New Years Day Trail Race - in the shaded woods - with a high temperature for the day predicted to be 36 (race time will prob be closer to 30-32). The next weekend I have a 10K that is predicted to be around 25 at the start. This is the same race that last year was postponed a week due to snow. 

So how about you? How do you survive outdoor running in the winter? Do you tough it out or wait it out? Let me know in the comments. Or, feel free to call me a cold-weather-wuss and tell me how you run barefoot in a tank and shorts in 4+ feet of snow.