How does everyone train in a lot of snow? Speedwork in the snow?

It's ten weeks until the beginning of May and I don't know how long it is until your race. But good marathons mostly come from running miles rather than from specific workouts. By March there should be some melting and at least some clear places where you can do some faster running. Until then just run mileage, avoid falling and killing yourself, and if you have hills do some running on those. You can benefit from doing that at your normal "avoid falling and getting killed" pace. Or, if you really are wedded to those workouts, get a pair of cross country spikes and use those on the snow and ice.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Your body is too focused on survival in cold weather, so energy is lost. The body is fighting to maintain core temperature, and the body is sending blood away from the muscles to important organs to keep them warm. All vessels become constricted, so hands and feet don't get the blood that they require to function properly, and they go numb

Cut the drama, Nancy. None of this happens short of Nunavut.

You act like people are running naked.

Heading out now, wish me luck. Hoping that the outdoor track is in good condition. Gonna rip 3x 3km repeats close to 10k pace with 2km easy in between. My marathon is already in March, so I have not time to waste. Expect great things.

It's a marathon, screw the shorter interval stuff. Do a tempo run, progression run, or long repeats of at least a couple miles. When there is snow on the ground, it's about effort, not about hitting a time.

fleet wrote:

I've been training for a marathon in May (goal of 2:40) and according to the plan I have been following, I should be doing workouts (mile repeats, 400s, 2 mile repeats, hills, etc).

You should find another plan to follow.

A winter with lots of snow is a great opportunity to get in lots of miles. If you have to run through deep snow to get in some of those miles, better yet -- deep snow can be great resistance training, without the pounding and excessive dehydration that can often limit high-volume training. You can almost always find relatively safe and stable surfaces on which to train through snow; I did some long and productive sessions by plowing through deep snow on the infield of an outdoor track late into the evening.

For me, snowy winters were often the best times to make big, sustainable gains in fitness. If you do it right, you should come out of the winter feeling strong as an ox, and without many of the niggling injuries that can develop from fast running on unforgiving surfaces.

You don't need a lot of fast running to get to a 2:40 marathon, and you certainly don't need it in early February to be ready for a marathon in May. Any fast or high-intensity training can be done on a treadmill, which is especially good for high-intensity training on steep inclines. And if you absolutely can't or won't run outdoors in snowy weather, you can do all of your training on a treadmill, as some very good runners have demonstrated over the years. Just make sure to allow yourself a period of transition from the relatively soft surface of a modern treadmill to the harder surfaces of roads and dirt trails.

New England Warrior wrote:

Heading out now, wish me luck. Hoping that the outdoor track is in good condition. Gonna rip 3x 3km repeats close to 10k pace with 2km easy in between. My marathon is already in March, so I have not time to waste. Expect great things.

Have to give myself a pat on the back, I did well. Sidewalks were covered by an inch- thick ice layer, but the track was perfect. Keep it up y'all, champions are forged this time of the year

vivalarepublica wrote:

It's a marathon, screw the shorter interval stuff. Do a tempo run, progression run, or long repeats of at least a couple miles. When there is snow on the ground, it's about effort, not about hitting a time.

Actually, for him, it is about time (2:40).

fleet wrote:

I run year round outside, but we get a lot of snow here. Currently, there is about a foot on the ground. I've been training for a marathon in May (goal of 2:40) and according to the plan I have been following, I should be doing workouts (mile repeats, 400s, 2 mile repeats, hills, etc). There is not really any clear areas for me to do this. Should I just be focusing on getting miles in and long runs until the snow is gone? What do others do in the snow? There are no indoor tracks near me...treadmill gets pretty boring, would rather be outside.

For the record, you don't need repeat 400 meter intervals unless you have a very short rest and are doing a ton of them.

I just put on my XC spikes or use YakTrax, may pace is a bit slower for sure but I use a HRM to make sure I am hitting the right intensity.

Thanks guys! Lot of good information here. Where I live we just got another foot of snow last night and still snowing today, so all roads are totally covered. Will still be getting out there for my runs; good luck to those with the same amounts of snow, it's crazy out there!

fleet wrote:

Thanks guys! Lot of good information here. Where I live we just got another foot of snow last night and still snowing today, so all roads are totally covered. Will still be getting out there for my runs; good luck to those with the same amounts of snow, it's crazy out there!

Nice work! A foot of snow is definitely a lot to come down in one storm. We've received just under a foot since Sunday, so spread out it makes it a little easier for things to get cleared. Or at least partially cleared.

But I am in agreement with those who say keep getting outside. Slow miles in the snow, especially if you get a lot of them, are pretty awesome as you get to the spring. It can definitely be hard to find dry/plowed stretches for workouts and working on turnover, but for me even a short stretch to get a handful of strides in most runs is enough.

Just run outside. Where the roads are clear run faster, where they are icy run slower. Forced fartlek, just put in the miles, they all count. Don't be a wuss, don't over think it. Run hard up hills when possible, winter training is very effective for building strength.

If you are really brave, run in the snow, much better when it is wet, no better strength training for runners in my opinion, great for building connective tissue strength and hip flexor strength.

I hate winter, hate the snow, but love running in it, always ran my best races after a hard winter.

Intensity is one thing but specificity is another.

You can run in the snow in the right zone but your turnover will not be correct. You need to become familiar with the turnover required at a given level of effort. Head to a TM for a least a few sessions to keep sharp.

Put sheet metal screws in the sole of a pair of shoes for traction on snow and ice. And or get microspikes.

If you can find a low traffic section of road where snow is packed down or plowed you can do repeats on that. Does not have to be very long, just enough to do some work near race goal pace. (striders or whatever)

Or find an place where there is snow already packed down (park with routes others walk on, snowmobile trails, etc)

Also I had great success running in snowshoes during the winter. You can pack your own trails in a park or open space. Or even in the right of way along the edge of roads.

I agree with many other posters that you can get really strong by doing a lot of miles (even at slower paces) in the cold and snow. Be adaptable and push it to go faster when conditions allow, but otherwise just grind it out. You can also simulate effort of mile and two mile repeats, etc, by pushing harder for an equivalent time period in snowy and slower conditions, and not worrying so much about distance traveled.

When the weather warms up, you shed the clothes, and things melt you can pick up the pace. Strength can become speed

ooper wrote:

Intensity is one thing but specificity is another.

You can run in the snow in the right zone but your turnover will not be correct. You need to become familiar with the turnover required at a given level of effort. Head to a TM for a least a few sessions to keep sharp.

I don't believe the turnover is as necessary as you think, especially if you race periodically. Don't overthink it.

I have seen good results without worrying about it and never doing a workout on a treadmill. Both for myself and the athletes I coached during seventeen years of HS coaching.

Take a dip in the cold run after a hard workout

The treadmill is certainly boring for easy or moderately paced runs, tempos even. However, doing hills or intervals on them is quite exciting and hard. I have done many hill work outs on the treadmill and was not bored in the slightest. Usually you can do steeper hills on the treadmill than outside

How does everyone train in a lot of snow? Speedwork in the snow?

I DON'T.

pussification wrote:

Softies, softies everywhere....

This is how you train in snow: