winter "running"

Would probably be a hell of a lot cheaper to buy a month pass for the YMCA than to pay $10 a day.

I'm in a similar situation but with less snow, more ice. I did slip and fall into oncoming traffic but thankfully was fine. It definitely scared me, though. And also, it is COLD by me, and the cold is what's most prohibitive to me. It is hard for me to stay on a treadmill for more than 45ish minutes though because they are so darn boring.

Do people have tips for:

-focusing on treadmills for longer runs

-better preparing for the COLD (like, below 10 degrees)

-not slipping in snow/ice

I too have snowshoes but am afraid to go to the parks in the dark, which is about the only time of day I am able to run/work out.

This is my first time in a true winter and its killing me!

blah winter wrote:

I'm in a similar situation but with less snow, more ice. I did slip and fall into oncoming traffic but thankfully was fine. It definitely scared me, though. And also, it is COLD by me, and the cold is what's most prohibitive to me. It is hard for me to stay on a treadmill for more than 45ish minutes though because they are so darn boring.

Do people have tips for:

-focusing on treadmills for longer runs

-better preparing for the COLD (like, below 10 degrees)

-not slipping in snow/ice

I too have snowshoes but am afraid to go to the parks in the dark, which is about the only time of day I am able to run/work out.

This is my first time in a true winter and its killing me!

I find yak tracks pretty helpful on ice and snow.

As far as treadmill running, I find it easier to stay focused rather than trying to zone out with music/tv. I like doing "hills" where every quarter mile I increase the incline .5% and decrease the speed by .1mph and keep "climbing" until I get to 4 or 5% grade and then come back down.

Bite the bullet and go use the treadmill until the snow is gone. (Maybe there's one near the office so you can do lunch or after work, and don't need to compromise on sleep?)

I used to think it was wimping out, but used it to avoid this winter's snow (only 3-4 weeks where I am). It was just so nice to be warm and relaxed and I got a lot of consistent training in. I am totally converted to treadmills now for progressions, tempo and long reps. I can do more work for less mental effort on the treadmill, and get some useful gym work done too in the 15min after without needing a second trip to the gym.

I'm in the same boat man, I feel your pain. It's already hard enough to stay motivated all winter when every post-work run is in the dark and cold. But then you throw in all this snow and it just sucks. Can't get on the track to do my scheduled workouts. Running pre or post work is a bitch because the roads are so thin from snow banks on both sides, with the extra traffic it is annoying and possibly dangerous.

But hey, this has got to be the worst of it. Stay strong mentally, get work done on the treadmill. Come March when it's 50 degrees outside and daylight savings hits, it will all be worth it, especially since we've been running all winter and our fitness will be good for spring races.

There are others like you enduring the same daily grind, take comfort in that.

blah winter wrote:

Do people have tips for:

-better preparing for the COLD (like, below 10 degrees)

I've found that wearing baggy wind breaker pants/jackets (the types you usually get for college XC warm-ups) work great. It blocks out the wind you generate from running (which can be 8-12mph for most runners in a no wind environment) and after a few miles when your body really begins to produce body heat; it steams up inside your jacket and pants.. The jacket and pants trap it in. It's really nice. It's been working fine for me down to -5F.. hasn't been colder to test it out more. I just wear running shorts underneath the pants and a typical underarmour long sleeve shirt under the jacket. Then the typical hat, gloves, warm socks, etc.

Only thing that is ever cold for me is my face, but that warms up within 2-3 miles and isn't really a problem in the positive degrees.

Good tip for the treadmill is to do 2 1/2 minutes ON and 2 1/2 minutes OFF. You can play with the speeds depending on what you want to work on that day. For instance, you can do Marathon pace as your on and then keep the OFF pace a little faster or you can do 10K pace for the ON and really reduce the OFF pace to allow for better recovery.

Anyway, it really makes the treadmill go faster as you are really focusing during the harder portions and the recovery portions are welcome so they always seem to fly by.

I called the YMCA and it turns out they will sell me a monthly pass for only $55! Based on checking out their website before I had thought a monthly pass wasn't an option. I can hardly wait for 6 AM tomorrow. Liberation!

To blah winter, I have no tips for the treadmill. I hate them, but they are a good alternative right now. When it's below 10, I wear a balaclava/face mask thing with regular knit hat over the top and find this helps immensely. Below 3 or so I also wear long johns under my running tights. It takes a long time to get dressed, but once I'm ready, I find the cold doesn't get to me too badly. If the wind chills are like 20 below or whatnot, I probably wouldn't go outside though, so maybe I'm not that hardcore.

The usefulness of YakTrax really depends on the types of surfaces on which you run. Last year I would typically start and finish my runs on concrete/asphalt, and run the middle part on dirt roads. I found that YakTrax work very well on dirt roads and on dense packed snow. They even help on pure ice, though you still must be careful (duh).

Unfortunately YakTrax are relatively unhelpful on asphalt and concrete because the hard, abrasive nature of the pavement will cause the metal coils to break. (I went through 2 pairs last winter by January due to my running on asphalt/concrete). Unless you stick to dirt roads, I wouldn't recommend using YakTrax, unfortunately. You'd probably get about a week out of them.

That said, for walking to and from the subway or the grocery, YakTrax are good. Just don't subject them to the stresses of running.

Make some screw shoes (I recommend Ace Hardware or Home Depot, 3/8 inch #6 sheet metal screws + 1/4 inch drill bit + power drill; 1/4 inch for mid-forefoot):

http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm

I highly recommend a waterproof/windproof/lined winter jacket. Brooks made an awesome lightweight, lined jacket a few years ago. The price is definitely worth it for sanity/health/warmth. Check out Runningwarehouse for discounted gear. I like to dress extra warm to keep the muscles warm and protect the immune system. I'll go with this jacket and either a long or short-sleeved dri-fit, depending on how cold it is. Tights, maybe even a pair of windpants over them, is good for keeping the legs warm.

Get good gloves and socks. Ski gloves are great. There was a thread a few weeks ago with people recommending a certain XC skiing glove brand. I have some ski gloves made with a material called Thinsulate (there's gloves at Walmart with this same material). Get thin crew socks/dress socks/wool.

Spray your shoes with water-repellent.

Get a wool cap that's deep and covers the back of your neck. If it's windy, wear a headwarmer underneath the wool cap.

In terms of general training, don't worry about pace at all. The key is consistency, time on your feet, and getting out the door every day, twice a day if you're hardcore. Run a variety of terrain/hills/flats.