My philosophy for training and competing in the cold is pretty simple – there are certain things about a race that you can’t control, like the weather, but you can control how you prepare for it. Going into a race, I focus on those things I can do to give myself an edge. A big part of that is having the right warm-up apparel. My warm-up is actually something I practice over and over again, and I’m constantly looking for apparel that can better prepare my body to perform at its highest level. When I started wearing Nike Pro, I noticed a difference immediately. Not only did the fit, warmth and comfort feel great on my body, I found that I no longer had to worry about things like chafing or overheating or cold air getting inside my apparel. It was like wearing a second skin, completely natural to the point where I barely noticed it was there, and to this day I’ve never looked back.
Nike Pro helps put me in a place where I feel protected and ready to attack the race. I’m not thinking about pulling a muscle, I’m not thinking about keeping my core temperature up, I’m only thinking about one thing – my performance. Mentally that’s where I need to be. When I’m walking from the warm-up area to the starting line before a race there’s a confidence that comes over me. It comes from knowing that my training has prepared me for this moment, that my warm-up and apparel have put my body in a state to be its best, and that I’ve given myself every possible advantage. That’s when I know it’s time to take care of business.