Heart rate control in the winter

Don't worry about hr and splits in snow and cold, rely on feel and if you really want to to track your progress more exact just hop on the treadmill

I have lived and trained thousands of miles in Minnesota for over 40 years and never monitored heart rate in the winter during runs. Use RPE and make sure you hit the treadmill once a week to maintain stride length because running in the snow will shorten the length of your stride. I did run a 2:25 at the very first TC marathon and won the winter carnival marathon when it was a full 26.2 with a 2:36 so I know it can be done using RPE.

As mentioned in the reddit cross-post, wrist-based HR may not be accurate in cold conditions due to lack of blood flow at the surface of the skin. It often reads high. HR strap will do much better, but still not perfect.

Dry air also causes static electricity, which will mess with both watch and strap. Dampening the strap around the sensors and the shirt around the chest area will help with static.

In any event, learn to run by effort (feel) as much as possible and HR will not matter as much.

Sub 1:25 half runner here. My heart rate is always lower when it's cool out. Temps aren't even cold in MN yet. My heart rate is always higher in the summer heat and humidity as the body has to work much harder to keep cool. Maybe don't overdress-the body will warm up as you run. 30-50 degrees is the easiest temperature to run in imo, wind can make that less easy but can be worked around, finish with the wind at your back when possible.

My HR always runs lower when it's colder. Are you overdressing? Generally the issue is that it takes longer to get core up to temp in order to achieve desired performance in the cold.

Typically HR is more difficult to keep low in warm/humid environments. Feel free to explore the following possibilities:

-HR will be higher if you are dehydrated, people are less likely to focus on hydration in colder months. Make sure you are hydrating.

-Are you changing the timing of your run due to darkness, or having more caffeine? Running later in the day or increasing caffeine intake can raise HR.

-Realize it is normal for resting HR to fluctuate throughout the year.

-Are you entering a state of overtraining?

-Use a chest based HR monitor. If you haven't been you'll have to set a new baseline of HR:effort ratio. Wrist based HR monitors are pretty inaccurate while running and cold will further skew those results.

-If you remain convinced it is your body's reaction to cold (high HR to move blood back to extremities does make sense, as does high HR from pain of "screaming barfies") you can warm up inside for ten minutes on a treadmill or even a cheap spin bike. Just something to get the blood moving before heading outside. Your muscles, fingers, and toes will thank you!

You live in a state with a plethora of cross-country skiers, and in my experience every third cross-country skier has an exercise physiology degree. A great knowledge base to tap into regarding training in cold weather.

Stop obsessing over metrics, dummy.

Most likely it’s your HR monitor on your wrist watch having trouble getting an accurate read of your HR because of the cold temps and getting into a cadence lock. Try getting a chest strap or a Coros arm band monitor. Personally I much prefer training in the winter because on the contrary, the cold temps keep my HR low. The only time really my HR is a bit elevated when running in the cold is if I accidentally overdress for the temps and overheat a bit.

drop all the metrics (and metric measuring devices) and just go run a buncha miles.

I dont want to sound too dismissive, but really you are too focused on tiny, small details that don't matter. Those things are just confirming what your body is already telling you. It's not shocking that the days you feel really good your pace is faster and your HR is probably very steady, and the days you feel like trash your HR is through the roof and your paces dragging.

Is the whole internet now just bots talking to bots?

It's interesting that post #3 was deleted. I think it was the first reply to correctly predict that it was going to say, "I got this". Maybe too many people or bots reported it as being mean to bots.

Running on only a few cm of snow rises the HR about 10 bpm- rather than the cold