Cold Weather Training and Practice
Hi everyone! As winter rolls in, I wanted to share some advice regarding training in the cold for those of you crazy enough to workout outdoors (uou know who you are).
Some of this info is adapted from CPR and Safety Courses I have taken and some of this is taken from some basic research I have done. I will link the sources I used at the end. If you do not read the post, PLEASE WATCH the video linked in this post.
Why Do We Care
As an athletic team we are invested in you performing at your prime and this includes making sure you stay healthy and are able to recognize when to push through the pain and when to listen to your body. With COVID putting a wrench in many of our workout plans many of us may look to outdoor training to supplement our in home workouts. However, we are especially wary of the cold weather due to the risk of hypothermia, frost bite and increased risk of injury in cold weather.
Land Practice
This part is quite self explanatory and many of you already know the importance of layers but I will reiterate their importance in cold weather. Many of us have been in a position where we have worn one thick layer that turned out to be too much or something too thin which turned out to be to little and have suffered the consequences. Mixing and using multiple thin layers can help you modulate temperature as you go through your workout zippers are especially useful as they let you quickly let in more or less of the surrounding air to help cool you off or heat you up. Please avoid cotton in your under layer as it is prone to absorbing and holding onto sweat which can cool you down quite rapidly during your rest periods or during your cool down.
I also want to talk about the importance of refueling during your workout. Cold weather workouts are much more demanding on your body in terms of fuel consumption and can often result in you hitting the wall much sooner than you anticipated. This can be dangerous when you are far from home with no way to refuel. For those of you going on longer workouts we HIGHLY recommend that you bring along simple carbs such as bread/peanut butter and if possible hot fluids to keep you fueled and warm.
In a case where you realize you are getting too cold for comfort and have to where to shelter/ have to wait for help to arrive you should do everything in your power to retain heat. This includes wearing all your layers but also things such as adopting heat efficient positions. These include rolling up into a ball as this position retains the most heat. To protect your extremities you may want to shove them into the pits of your body such as your arms, knees or groin area. While shoving your hands down your pants may be embarrassing it beats losing fingers/ nerve damage. It is also advisable to bring along hand warmers and other sources of heat in case of an emergency.
PLEASE follow weather advisories and don't go out during a cold snap cause "it would mess with your programming". Workouts can always be made up later and missing one WILL NOT make or break your progress.
Water Practice
This section is arguably MORE important as it is applicable to more of us. As some of us head out in outrigger canoe and kayaks in the spring we should be wary of the cold weather. Cold water can be deadly and has its effect much quicker than cold air due to he efficiency at which water can absorb your body heat. I would like to preface this section with the idea that dragon boats are relatively safe due to the size and weight of the boat and that as a team we have NEVER flipped or sunk a dragon boat. You will get an appreciation for how safe a dragon boat is when you get to practice on it. However just because it has never happened does not mean we do not prepare for it.
The water in April/May can range from anywhere from near freezing all the way to 12 degrees C. At these temperatures, hypothermia sets in about 30min which is both good and bad. While it is significantly faster than if you were in cold air it still gives you time to get rescued or conduct a self-rescue. When you hit freezing water two things will occur immediately. First you will suck in air then will start to hyperventilate, second you will start to lose muscle control as your body loses heat. These WILL occur and you cannot mentally will yourself to ignore these factors, so we must prepare for them. When heading out into cold water you MUST wear a full life jacket and if possible, wear either a wet suit or a dry suit to maximize the time that can be spent within the water before being rescued. You should also go out with a partner or a method through which you may contact help if you should need it. The first matter of business when in cold water should be to control your breathing. Once this is achieved, attempt to get as much of your body out of the water as possible this includes getting yourself back into the boat or getting on top of your flipped boat. Second contact help through radio or from your partner on the water. In the event you are unable to get out of the water call for help and adopt the fetal position in the water as it will again minimize the amount of heat lost to the water. Cold water has its risks but doesn't mean we cannot prepare and minimize those risks.