More matters of degree

As a follow-up to my previous post regarding the differential between cold temperatures and miles run, I knew one person that needed to be factored in was my good friend from out West, Marist alum and USA ultra stud Bob Sweeney. Bob provides some extremely interesting metrics:

1-Being an Ultra Guy, his race distances are absurdly long. He has raced with much skill at distances of 100 kilometers (62 miles, for those keeping score at home), where he was a USA Team member several times, and 100 miles, where he PR averages out to less than 8:00 per mile. Yes. That’s right: 8-minute pace for more than half a day, and for a Century Run – put it in perspective, that’s from Marist to the Armory and about a third of the way back!

2-He currently lives in Colorado, near Boulder, a curious climate that features extreme temperature fluctuations – now! An example: Last week it was 70 degrees there. Yesterday, Bob checked in via e-mail with the report of a 5-miler that started at minus-4 and finished at minus-2. Good heavens! From late spring to mid-winter … all in the span of days! Of course, I would sign up for just one 70-degree day, now, in exchange for minus-4 – which we are getting on a regular basis anyway.

Bob gave me several degree-variation examples from his ultra experience – which also includes 24-hour races spread out over the span of two different days, and that means wild temperature fluctuations within the same race! I would have to say his best degree-variation would be from a 100km national championship in Pittsburgh, where the high temperature was under 40 – thus a differential of about 25. More importantly, cranking out a hard 62-mile effort in winter-like conditions would be considered pretty tough.

Anyway, this makes for interesting (to me, at least) chatter while we negotiate wintry mixes and crowded practice days in the McCann Fieldhouse.