I said yesterday that winter had returned with a vengeance. Well, they say revenge is a dish best served cold, and I think Mother Nature agrees. The high today is -1 with a significant. Nevertheless, I duly ran outside this morning.
It occurred to me after finishing my post yesterday that, if I encourage people to run outside on the coldest days in the winter, I should probably give some tips on how to do so safely. This morning gave me the opportunity to demonstrate this. So without further ado, here are some things I keep in mind. They are not necessarily scientific, but they work for me.
The major idea is preparation: you have to be ready for it. This includes clothing, of course. But it also includes preparing your body, and lest I forget, your mind.
Clothing: I heard a suggestion the other day to "dress like a bank robber." It sounds silly, but it's true. On days where it gets below zero Fahrenheit, exposed skin can freeze in a matter of minutes, particularly with any sort of wind. My rule of thumb for dressing is that I would like, for any run, to be about as warm as I am in shorts and a shirt in 55 degree, cloudy weather. But always remember it's easier to take off a layer that you end up not needing than going without it. More specifically, here is what I like to wear:
Head: I wear a hat when it gets below freezing. Anything down to 10 degrees and it's a thin Smartwool number. Below that, and I wear a fleece hat. For days below -10 or -20, I might wear both. I always wear sunglasses of some sort, which serve to provide a barrier between my eyes and the wind. Were I to live in a colder place, I might consider goggles that would not fog up and freeze. And on my neck, I wear a Buff, which is a thin neck-muff type protector that is thin enough to breathe through if necessary. On particularly cold days, I put it up over my nose to cover my face. This serves the dual purpose of capturing moisture and reintroducing it into your lungs. Otherwise the dry, cold air can be quite the shock.
Torso: Today I wore a thick Asics underlayer beneath a thin GoLite wind shell. I rarely wear more than two layers, as I overheat easily. The wind shell has pit-zips, which allow you to cool off somewhat without removing the wind protection provided by the shell.
Hands: Down to 25, I wear thin gloves designed for bicycling or just liner gloves. Below that, I prefer Lobster glove, which bridge the gap between mittens and gloves by splitting a mitten down the middle. Pearl Izumi and Swix make good versions. Today I wore liner gloves inside the Lobster gloves, which worked well.
Legs: Above freezing I almost always wear shorts. Below I have two pairs of running tights: a thin pair by GoLite and a thick pair by XC. If it's particularly windy I will wear windpants of some sort over tights or long underwear. If particularly cold, moreso than today, I will wear long underwear under the XC tights.
Feet: Feet are key to any runner. Don't neglect them. I wear Smartwool PhD socks in my shoes and have not had trouble with cold feet, though my toes are not as sensitive to the cold as some people's may be. And, for traction, I have a pair of "Get-a-Grips." They are rubber outsoles that strap onto your shoe, and have six tiny carbide spikes for grip. Some prefer YakTrax, but I find they put odd pressure points on the sole of my foot. For snowy trail runs, I have a pair of Kahtoola Microspikes, which are close to being crampons of the sort mountaineers might use.
Body: The first point in preparing your body is hydration. Most runners pay better attention to hydration in the summer than the winter. This is a common mistake. The dry air in the winter sucks water out of your lungs and actually can dehydrate you more quickly than the summer sun. It is equally important to hydrate before and after your run in the winter.
The second point in preparing your body is getting a good warm up in. Do not stay indoors too long once you have your cold weather gear on: you risk overheating and then leave yourself at risk to get chilled outside. Rather, as soon as you are ready, step out the door. The cold will always be a shock, expect this. Once you get over the initial shock, or even beforehand, start running slowly. As you warm up, you can increase your pace to whatever workout you are planning that day.
Mind: This ties in with body. The cold is always a shock. There is no getting around the fact that, when you step out the door in below-zero weather, your body is not happy. Acknowledge this fact, accept it, and expect it. Once you get outside and warmed up, it is much easier to keep going.
The second point in the mind category is pay attention. Running in the cold is all well and good as long as you pay attention to what your body is telling you and act accordingly. If your toes are getting numb, go home. If you start shivering and can't warm up, go home and take a warm, not hot, shower. Don't ignore what your body and mind are telling you.
I have no better place to put the next tip, but it seems to tie in with the previous point so I will place it here: take care to plan your route. In cold weather, whatever length of run you might be planning, stay a short run from home. That way if you get in any sort of trouble, you can quickly retreat with minimal consequences.
In some other post, probably in the next several days, I will tell a story about a run where I ignored the above advice. Suffice to say it was not pretty, and the consequences were lasting.
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