Running in Minneapolis in Winter

The only thing that would prevent you from running outside would be your own lack of willpower. The streets will be clear unless there's an ongoing blizzard.

I'm from CA but visit my family in MN every winter so can offer some advice. First off it really depends on the winter each year. Like last year (I was there from Christmas u till New Years) it was in the 20's and there wasn't too much snow, but some years it has been freezing and a ton of snow. You just never know. But for the most part, they are pretty good about plowing the roads unless it has literally just snowed that morning/day. I did all runs last year when I was there outside. The only time I go on a treadmill is if the roads are actually slippery/icy. Running in an inch or two of soft snow isn't too bad, just need to slow your pace a bit. You can also buy the traction devices (yax trax I think) to put on your shoes in case it's icy. You shouldn't need to take 5 days off. Just dress warm enough slow the pace a bit (if the roads have snow on them) and you should be fine. Worst case scenario is do a few treadmill runs if the weather is terrible.

Are you accustomed to running on ice? This is really the concern. Running in light snow is pretty easy, provided a thin layer of snow isn't covering ice.

If you haven't run on ice, this is not a good time to learn.

Northstar Running will have group runs 6 days a week through the winter. They have some folks training for early season marathons that will be in your pace range. If it gets to be colder than -10 or so, we will run in the Viking stadium or an indoor soccer field.

I lived there for 11 years. The Twin Cities are great about clearing snow off the roads and usually bike paths really quickly. It takes a little bit of practice to run in deeper snow, though, but you probably won't need to do that.

One think you should pay attention to: wind. Be mindful of what the wind chill is and where the wind is blowing and plan your route accordingly. Always head out into the wind and save the tailwind for your return. Otherwise, you will get too warm on the way out and then be freezing on the way back.

This gal has it all figured out -

http://www.therightfits.com/minneapolis/

Like others have said, the surface that you run on makes a huge difference. I developed Achilles and patella tendonitis the 2 years I lived in Indiana, and I believe it was from running on icy and snowy surfaces outside. Your lungs may be shocked by the drastic temperature difference if you're going from a warmer climate.

Glad you're asking and hope you'll have a good time up here...

... many accessible ped-combo paths and they're maintained reasonably well. Water and bathrooms not always at convenient intervals, though. Check City of Mpls Park Board web infor.

... debate the cause if you wish, but weather trends over the last 20 years have been skewing warmer, so you might not necessarily have classic, stereotypic single-digit conditions with 2 ft of snow

... if indoors is the best option, there are dates at US Bank Stadium... as well as short indoor loops (Blaisdell YMCA on edge of Uptown comes to mind-- suspended around the gym)

https://runmdra.org/programs/indoor-stadium-running/

Again, enjoy your time in our area and hope you'll find non-disruptive interruptions for training.

treadmill is a much better workout. run in a warm gym, or put an extra layer of clothes (or both, actually), and use the incline button. you will get more out of it than from running outside in cold temperatures, with less risk of injury

The river road and Minnehaha Parkway are plowed regularly and the footing is usually just fine.

Yes, the bike path along the river gets plowed, as well as the paths around the chain of lakes in the city (Lake Harriet, Calhoun, Isles) which will provide plenty of surface to run on. The greenway might even get plowed? And I second another users suggestion of some sort of tracks to pull over your shoes. Due North brand makes some cheap ones that I have found effective for ice. I’d wear a buff over your mouth/lower face if the wind chill is bad. Have fun! It can be beautiful to run outside in the winter if there is some snow.

In my opinion (growing up in Houston and living in Minneapolis) is that cold toes and dry air on the lungs will be the biggest with running outside. The lungs will hurt from dry air inside as well if you are coming from the gulf coast. In single digits or lower, you probably aren't going to want to run outside because your feet will become lead blocks and your toes will start to freeze. The former affects your stride and mechanics and the latter just hurts.

As for trails and groups. Some of the best grand master's meet on the north side of Calhoun at Run N Fun at 6pm on Monday. They run 9 miles around 7:20/mile after a gentle warm up. The MDRA also has a Saturday polar bear group at 8:30 that starts from one of two locations and has 3 hour marathoners doing 13 or so miles.

The grand rounds trails in Minneapolis and St. Paul will all be plowed and are generally ice and snow free. The absolute safest is the Greenway (purple line in link) between the river and the lakes. It is a old rails-to-trails trench that is very well plowed as a bike commuting trail. It is super boring buried trench through the city, the closest thing to an outdoor treadmill you can find. Good footing and protected from wind.

https://minneapolisrunning.com/grand-rounds-scenic-byway/

Polar bears:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mdrapolarbears/

fisky wrote:

Are you accustomed to running on ice? This is really the concern. Running in light snow is pretty easy, provided a thin layer of snow isn't covering ice.

If you haven't run on ice, this is not a good time to learn.

Agreed. The cold shouldn't be your first concern. If you're not used to running on snow/ice then a quick slip could ruin your season.

Don't get injured bro.

Texan in Frozen Tundra wrote:

I might visit some family friends in Minneapolis for New Years but am running a marathon two weeks later with goal time of sub 3 hours so need to do some running while there. I've read and seen its been in single digits with snow in past years and thats expected. Do they plow the roads and if so can I run on the roads? Or am I destined for the treadmill?

I'm not afraid to run in cold weather but was born / raised in Texas so never experienced running in snowy conditions. Don't want all my training to be for naught if I am forced to take 5 days off while up there.

Weather in Minneapolis is inconsistent. It's definitely going to be cold, most likely 20-30, but it could be in the single digits with a couple inches of snow as well. Unless you are coming from the south, 20-30 should not be a problems as long as you throw on some tights, long sleeve and mittens. If you are coming from a warm weather state, I would avoid the single digits, it may be to much as a shock to your body. Btw, I have used a treadmill on several occasions leading up to a big race and did Ok.

Lots of people have mentioned the cold weather effects on your lungs. However how do you deal with it. As a life-long resident and runner I have always used a Baca lava type thing over my head that covers the mouth and nose. Some say you breathe carbon dioxide but I've never experienced any difficulties from it.

They do make masks for the weather as well but they are costly for just 5 days of running. Perhaps you could use some of the more creative "gerbil," machines. I have used one that is more like Nordic skating than the regular Nordic Skiers'. This might enable you to use your muscles differently.

brrrr

Third sock.

I live in Minneapolis. Good posts so far, yes just dress for the weather; I run year round outside and am never cold as long as I dress appropriately.

Figured I'd plug my club too, mill city running has 3 group runs every week, free and opened to everybody; Tuesday's 6pm, weds 6pm, Friday morning 6:30am (flapjacks are served afterwards).

Also 2 more indoor places to run, for free, are the Plymouth fieldhouse and the maple grove sports dome. If you Google those you can find a calendar on their websites with times the track is opened.

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I really appreciate it! The will power will be there to go outside, probably will need a break from everyone at some point haha.

Makes me feel better about going overall and any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!