I am racing a 5k on January 1st. The high is 16° (fahrenheit) and I expect it to be around 10° at the start of the race. I've gone running in weather this cold (and colder), but I've never raced when it's that cold. How should I warm up for a race in that kind of weather? How will my performance be affected by the cold? Thanks in advance for any insight.
Wear a face mask so your lungs aren't getting shredded by the cold air. Sunglasses so your eyes don't tear up as much.
Warm up should be as close to the start as possible. Have another set of clothes that are dry that you can change into after.
If it's calm and clear a 5k race at 10F isn't bad. If its windy or icy, the race might be miserable. IMO, tights, long sleeve tech shirt, thin hat and gloves is plenty for a 15-25 minute effort assuming no gale force winds. Try to stretch and warm up inside if possible.
If not, keep the warm-up on the short side. Running in cold weather burns a huge amount of energy. If you have a non-racing friend available, keep a shell layer on till the last minute when you can strip down to racing kit.
I ran a Jingle Bell run a few years back in 10F with wind and icy roads. I ended up tossing my hat around two miles. (I can't imagine racing with a facemask) I had a little trouble maintaining form in the wind over last mile but managed to overtake some sucker for a podium spot on the homestretch. I'd guess cold, wind and ice added 20-30 secs to my ideal conditions time.
Only strategy change I'd make is a conservative start to protect cold muscles/tendons and avoid tying up over last half of the race.
Good luck-
**Update:
Current forecast says -2°F at race time. Should I even try to run “fast” at that temperature? Is this a bad idea? Am I putting myself at greater risk of injury? Should I just do a tempo run at HM pace and enjoy the festivities?
brickrunnin wrote:
Wear a face mask so your lungs aren't getting shredded by the cold air. Sunglasses so your eyes don't tear up as much.
Have you ever actually ran in the cold lol? 10F is no where near cold enough to shred the lungs or tear the eyes. One of the worst things about running in the cold is having a mask in the way of your breathing. Unless it's incredibly cold I never have it over my mouth and even when I do it's to warm the exterior not my lungs.
If it's going to be -2F then wear a light outer layer that protects from wind. On a hard run in that temp I would probably wear an outer shell with a long sleeve underneath and insulated tights. If your tights don't have wind protection around the groin then also find a way to keep yourself warm down there. A thin hat with mini gloves and maybe a neck warmer as well. Probably the most important thing is to make sure your legs are warm. If it's a morning race then sleep in a warm setting with long pjs and thick socks then stay warm until you get there and keep yourself moving once you do. Don't just get there cold and expect to be warmed up with a few strides or something. Running hard in the cold is fine if you are warmed up but if your joints are cold it's easy to get injured.
**update
It was -3°F and my face hurt. Ran mostly by feel as I didn’t want to peel back my sleeve and glove to see my watch much. Ran a big PR. Thanks for the cold race advice. I was able to warm up inside for the most part.