Orienteering race 56:52 [3] *** 3.1 km (18:21 / km) +145m 14:52 / km
shoes: Inov8 Mudclaw
{Started GPS late}
Brown course at Middle Creek Park (near Burlington, KY), set by Ben Hart. A really nice Brown---difficult nav. The cold made footing difficult and slow. I had lots of hesitations and stopped a lot to read the map. Nominal temperature was 16F, -9C, light wind, sunny.
On the course, I tried a North Face Apex jacket, which is a membrane, wind-proof jacket with a thin fleece-like inner insulation. I've been confused as to what problem the Apex and Apex Bionic solve. I was thinking it was a jacket perhaps for nordic skiing, but it just seems thin and cold. It did okay. I was "okay" almost all the time. The membrane wasn't perfect. I got the fleece-like insulation good and wet. My go-to for weather like this is fleece (one or two layers), and I still think that's the best except perhaps in heavy wind---wind blows right through fleece. I get the fleece wet, but it evaporates and I generally stay a lot more comfortable.
Cold weather gear for running the computer: I tried a wool-lined military hood that I think I got for $5. It was pretty good---especially as a scarf replacement---it had arms that crossed at neck level and secured with velcro. Stephanie wanted to take a picture---I asked, "Does my hat look stupid?"---It turned out the hat looking stupid was one of the reasons she wanted to take the photo. I need to get an Elmer Fudd type hat---hopefully a Filson or a Canada Goose ($$$). Knit caps (boggins/tuques) are a little too wind-permeable for weather this cold when you're not moving. I desperately need some better scarves. Mine aren't quite long enough. I'm becoming a convert to handwarmers. They just give you a little bit more margin for keeping your hands warm.