8 Tips for Successful Winter Running! + MORE
I found these great tips in my Junk Mail folder this morning. It was in an email from Iceman Extreme Obstacle Course 5k in Minnesota Jan 31, 2015. Originally from Runners World, these tips have something that the fresh face and seasoned vetern can use. If it will help keep us running through the winter, especially if its going to be worse than last winter, then lets do this!
There are a few things I have added on at the bottom including safety, variety, nutrition and things to do for the next workout.
8 Tips For Running In The Cold
Runners and readers like you give their best advice for plowing through the winter season.
By Yishane Lee
Published by Runner's World
January 11, 2008
1. Get Motivated "Make a date to meet someone for a run," says Jean M., a reader in Colorado. "There's no wimping out when someone is waiting." John Stanton, the founder of the Running Room in Edmonton, Alberta, says the club's Wednesday and Sunday group runs are popular in winter, when the average high is 17°F. In January and February, the Running Room hosts the Hypothermic Half-Marathon, which attracts 3,500 runners in 14 cities across Canada–even at temps as low as -40°F. "There's a big, free brunch afterward," Stanton says. "People will do anything for omelets and pancakes." Solo? "Tell yourself that you can go back inside after five minutes if it's really bad," says Patti Finke, a coach in Portland, Oregon. "Usually you stay out there." Of course, not everyone objects to winter weather. "A night run during a light snowfall is one of the most peaceful things you can experience," says Justin Lord of Kenmore, New York. 2. Arm Your Feet To keep warmth in and slush out, run in shoes that have the least amount of mesh. If you have shoes with Gore-Tex uppers, all the better, says Mark Grandonico, president of the Maine Track Club in Portland. Wear socks that wick away wetness but keep your feet warm. Runner Joe McNulty of Philadelphia swears by nonitchySmartWool socks. Also check out a product called Ice Trackers that will give you improved traction for those extra icy conditions. 3. Get Dressed You want to be warm without sweating so much you get a chill. "The rule of thumb is to dress as if it is 20 degrees warmer," says Maine Track Club president Mark Grandonico. "You should be slightly cool when you start." Think layers of technical fabrics, to wick sweat, with zippers at the neck and underarm area to vent air as you heat up. You'll learn your own preferences, but readers Darrell Arribas, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, and Eric Maniloff, of Stittsville, Ontario, both helped create these general guidelines. Assume you always wear gloves or mittens and a hat. 30 degrees: 2 tops, 1 bottom. Long-sleeve base layer and a vest keep your core warm. Tights (or shorts, for polar bears). 10 to 20 degrees: 2 tops, 2 bottoms. A jacket over your base layer, and wind pants over the tights. 0 to 10 degrees: 3 tops, 2 bottoms. Two tops (fleece for the cold-prone) and a jacket. Windbrief for the fellas. Minus 10 to 0 degrees: 3 tops, 2 bottoms, extra pair of mittens, 1 scarf wrapped around mouth or a balaclava. Minus 20 degrees: 3 tops, 3 bottoms, 2 extra pairs of mittens, 1 balaclava, sunglasses. Or, says Arribas, "Stay inside." 4. Be Seen With limited daylight, chances are you'll be running in the dark (Alaskans, sadly, get only a few hours of dim light per day). Tall snowbanks on plowed streets make you even harder to see. Wear reflective, fluorescent gear, and don't be shy about lighting yourself up like a Christmas tree, says RW's own Ed Eyestone, who runs in snowy Utah. Says Adam Feerst, a coach and trail-race director in Denver, "I use a headlamp or carry a flashlight, less so I can see where I'm going and more so people can see me."
5. Warm up Pre-run Move around inside enough to get the blood flowing without breaking a sweat. Run up and down your stairs, use a jump rope, or do a few yoga sun salutations. A speedy house-cleaning works, too, says D. A. Reng from Kentucky. "The cold doesn't feel so cold when you're warm," says Laura Salmon of Akron, Ohio. If you're meeting a group of running buddies, don't stand around in the cold chatting before you run. "We sit in our cars," says Denver's Feerst, "waiting for one person to get out before we all get out." 6. Deal with Wind Start your run into the wind and finish with it at your back, so the breeze doesn't blast you after you've broken a sweat. To avoid a long, biting slog, you can break this into segments, running into the wind for about 10 minutes, turning around to run with the wind at your back for five minutes, and repeating. You can also seek man-made wind protection. "When we get wind here, it can be like a hurricane," says Chuck Bartlett, the team director of Seattle's Club Northwest. "The buildings downtown block it." Protect exposed skin. "I use BodyGlide on my nose and on my cheeks to prevent frostbite," says the Canadian Stanton. Other options include Vaseline (a bit messy) and Kiehl's All-Sport Non-Freeze Face Protector. 7. Forget Speed "Winter running is more about maintenance miles than speedwork," says Feerst. In very cold weather, look for "inversions," places that are elevated and where the air will be warmer. "Even 300 feet up, the air can be 20 degrees warmer, which makes a big difference," says Steve Bainbridge, the trails liaison for the Fairbanks, Alaska-based Running Club North, the northernmost running club in the United States. Bainbridge's coldest run took place in minus 50 degree weather. "My eyelashes were freezing together," he says. If you can't run in the middle of the day when the temperatures are warmest, run twice a day, says Stanton, three miles in the morning and three miles in the evening: "That's better than doing one long six-mile run where you might get very cold toward the end." 8. Change Quickly Post-run Your core body temperature drops as soon as you stop running. To avoid a lingering case of the chills, change your clothes–head to toe–as soon as you can. Women need to get out of damp sports bras quickly. Put a dry hat on wet hair. And drink something hot. "We go to a coffee shop after our runs, and take turns using the bathroom to change," says Grandonico. "Then we all relax with coffee and bagels." Driving to a run? Bring a thermos of green tea or hot chocolate in your car.
Additional Notes:
Make Safety a Prioritiy - The weather can always turn unfavourabable very quickly with Blizzards. Hail and Flash Freezing or Flash Floods. Make sure to plan ahead by checking the weather in advance and knowing when to avoid the worst of it! Thunder or Lightning just stay inside or attempt to wait it out. When the temperature is above freezing and then suddenly drops below freezing the melting water turns into giant sheets of very slippery ice. Safety should always be your first concern!
Variety is the Spice of Training - We can always try our best to plan ahead but sometimes things are out of our control forcing us to cancel any outdoor running workouts. Don't Panic, this is a blessing in disguise (not referring to the treadmill), and injectt some bariety into your training plan and also helps keep motivation up. You can get a great aerobic workout by cross training and wiithout jeopradiing your long term goals and plans. Cross Country Skiing, Biking, Swimming are all great options.but stick to the training plan and use these options for days where an outdoor run is not an option!
Nutrition For the Cold - Your body needs fuel and energy to recover from the workout, replenish everything it used and also to keep warm. Your heart rate will drop the rate of circulation will fall making it harder to keep the extremities warm (hands feet). Having a hair dryer or hand dryer if not at home can help ease that but the best way is to warm your body up from the inside out with hot foods and liquids. Chocolate Milk is a great recovery option and all it takes is 15 seconds in the microwave to warm it up. Any nutrition you have during a run should be soft if solid or less viscous if liquid. It will be a pain taking a hard energy bar or squeeze out a gel that feels like molases.
The Next Workout - With winter, comes snow, and that also means wet shoes and clothes. Get all your wet stuff out to dry right away starting with your shoes when you take them off. Put them over a vent to help drying because there is nothing worse than putting on wet shoes for your next run. Take all your clothes and hang them up to dry. Don't leave them in a pile or even worse in your bag because they will not dry and get a stink so strong it could fill your entire house! The only way that has worked for me to get the smell out is Sport Suds!
We all have some of the toughest days while running but in the end it helps build character and makes you stronger! These will help make sure you are safe and enjoying it one step at a time all year round!
DU Smithy
Kevin Smith
