Anyone have good winter running tips?
No treadmills ok--
Outside with the snow ice and cold
Anyone have good winter running tips?
No treadmills ok--
Outside with the snow ice and cold
Be patient. By 2015 snow and ice will no longer occur in the winter.
Just deal with it, you'll be fine. You may need to get a bit creative with your routes, and by the end of winter you'll know a lot more about layering and different winter gear, but you'll be fine.
Actually, if you've never run in cold weather before you'll probably over dress a more than a few times and be sweltering by the mid point of your run.
The cold doesn't bother me much unless it's under 10 degrees and blowing. Wind is a big factor, along with ice on your route but we haven't really had a time where everything is frozen for a long period in years.
I'd much rather run in cold than high heat. Learn to enjoy it. It gets really old putting on the gear by mid February, but that makes the first warm days that much sweeter.
Buy cross country ski clothing rather than winter running clothing. Cross country ski clothing will keep you both warm and dry. Look at Swix, Craft, Solomon, they all make good products.
Biggest thing around here is finding routes that are free of snow and ice.
Have no problem with really cold days--it's just the sidewalks are slippery.
Streets get narrower in winter too.
A few tips do have are hydration still matters in winter especially for blood flow to extremities.
Used to run after rush hour in winter evenings so I could get out on the plowed part of the road with no traffic.
Appreciate more.
Just say no to treadmills!
Biggest concern is keeping the boys warm. I recommend shorts over tights.
If you're not someone who'll run consistently no matter the situation, never EVER take off because of the weather. If you do, it can(and usually will) spread like a cancer and kill your running. First you take off because of a foot of snow, then 6 inches, then 3, and on and on. If the weather in your area can get pretty extreme, set a minimum distance(like a mile or two, maybe even less) that you'll do no matter what.
Tights are good, especially under wind pants. Sporthill makes some nice winter running pants. Garden gloves to keep the fingers warm. My gloves usually come off after the first 10 min, then I put them on again when I am cooling down. If it is really cold, get some decent gloves which breathe. Vests are a good idea too. Some kind of thin "skull cap" can be helpful. It is dark at 4:45 in the middle of the winter where I live, so a light is good to have for running in the dark. REI has a good line of lights Petzl and Petzl II (?) are both good. Finally, don't wear cotton ... it just absorbs moisture and keeps you cold. Even "Starter Gear" from Walmart is actually pretty good, and is infinitely better than most of the gear that I ran in during the 80s and 90s.
I harp on the gear a bit because the weather is the primary thing that will keep you from going outside. If you have adequate gear, then there really isn't a reason not to get out.
If you can, run during the middle of the day. I find it depressing to go for runs in the dark, morning and night for weeks at a time.
40% of body heat leaves through the head- so (obviously enough) wear a hat.
Also, the cold always stops bothering me by the 1st mile marker. Even those 0F days. In other words, after getting started, the rest of it isn't bad.
Far as being slippery- oddly enough I've never fallen during a winter run, & neither have any running partners. The snow shouldn't hinder, but ice could. All I can advise there, is be alert watching ahead for ice.
Clothes (NO COTTON):
-Hat
-Gloves or mittens if you are prone to cold fingers
-Wind briefs
-Tights
-Upper body: tight-fitting, warm base layer. Then adjust other upper body garments based on weather: layer with longsleeve on warmer days, layer with windbreaker on colder days
-Neck warmer and/or faceshield. On the coldest days the balaclava-hat-neck warmer combo gets it done.
-Smartwool/merino wool socks (stay warm even when wet) - these are truly amazing and can really save your feet.
NO COTTON.
Other advice:
-Dress as though it's 15 degrees warmer than the actual temp. If its 30 out, wear running something similar to what you would wear just walking around at 45.
-Take note of prevailing wind direction on different routes so you can choose routes based on weather.
-Accept the fact that there may be a few days each winter when it's just not a good idea to run, as you might be risking injury/frostbite etc.
-Be especially careful of frostbite on long runs. I usually dress a little warmer for runs over 90 mins. You can always take layers off.
-On the nastiest days there is no shame in doing loops if it means staying away from nasty winds, which are what draws most of the heat away from the body. Limiting the max distance you are from home can keep you safe and healthy.
-If you are really concerned with pace then you'll have to factor in the extent to which your body is limited by cold weather. Muscles will be tighter, and you're spending more energy to stay warm.
-Run with people and take turns breaking the wind. Keeps you much warmer.
-As long as there's not a ridiculous amount of snow on the ground, getting over to some easy trails in the winter is really fun and gives your body a break from the roads. You'll run really slow and you'll have to get used to slipping a tiny bit, but it's worth it. If you have good access to groomed XC ski trails, consider getting some running snowshoes (I recommend Dion).
I live in northern Canada where we have snow for 6 months and the temperature often gets down to -22F (and sometimes a lot colder). You've been given some good advice here; just be prepared to be frustrated because getting dressed in multiple layers can easily take 15-20 minutes but you might only be running for an hour.
And you will have a TON of laundry.
For my long runs, I've always hated carrying a water bottle, so I just eat snow. (Or, I do the long run on the treadmill. Wind + super cold = treadmill.)
A lot of good comments above. Here's a few I didn't see:
If you're running in snow or slush, trail running shoes generally are more water resistant than road running shoes. They also generally have more aggressive threads. Some people use ScotchGuard spray to improve water resistance.
If you carry a water bottle for long runs, keep it inside your jacket so it doesn't freeze up in very cold weather.
Zippered clothing works well as you can easily adjust ventilation on the fly, particularly as you go with or against the wind. Gore-tex type clothing, in my experience, doesn't breath well enough for high exertion level activity, so you might as well just go with a cheaper vented shell for a wind layer. If wind isn't an issue then tight woven fabrics are better, someone noted Sporthill above, which started out making Nordic ski wear as making this sort of product.
No real Canadian gives temperature information in degrees F.
newtrollhandle wrote:
Be patient. By 2015 snow and ice will no longer occur in the winter.
Sigh... 2015 winter was kinda harsh in the NE. Sleet and snow mixes, tons of ice, very cold weather (in Feb). I'll give the climate alarmist troll a 3/10 because some people might actually have believed it.