Upon seeing the title of this post, the following may have crossed your mind:
“What on earth is a girl from Texas doing writing a post about cold-weather running?”
Admittedly, I’m not forced to deal with below-zero temperatures, ice storms, or blizzards like those of you in locations such as Canada. But Texas winters can be quite cold. A normal winter morning around here is in the 20s to 30s (Fahrenheit). And I like to run early, meaning it’s even colder. So maybe it’s not too much of a stretch for me to write this post.
*Ducks the (frozen) tomatoes being thrown at her from readers in Canada*
How to make Cold-Weather running fun:
- Become good friends with weather.com. Don’t just pay attention to the actual predicted temperature, look at the “feels like” temperature too.
- If you’re going to run in the morning, set out your clothes next to your bed the night before. You can even get dressed in bed, while you’re still under the covers.
- Pretend you’re an elite athlete, running in the race of your life. Do you think they are thinking about the cold when a chance to win the Boston Marathon is on the line? Imagine the roaring crowd, cheering for you.
- To keep your mind off the bitter temperatures, play the Running And Imagination game.
- Know what works for YOU. Those thermal running gloves are supposedly the best for keeping one’s fingers toasty. But for me, waterproof mittens work much better. My fingers aren’t separated in the mittens, so they stay nice and warm.
- Dress as if it’s 20 degrees warmer outside than it really is. You’ll warm up once you start running, and you don’t want to be so bundled that you start to sweat and thus become cold and wet.
- Figure out the absolute coldest temperature at which running no longer becomes fun for you. For me, that temp is “feels like 5, with 28mph or higher winds” so if it’s going to be uglier than that, I plan to work out indoors, later in the day, or take a rest day. Luckily for me, it very rarely gets that cold and windy (at the same time) here.
- Wear a hat, wear ear warmers, and bundle up your head. Around 40% of one’s body heat escapes through one’s head, so keep that baby under wraps! Seriously, I’m absolutely fine running even without a jacket in 30-degree weather as long as my head’s covered.
In my Headgear Arsenal: Depending on how cold it is, I wear a hat, a fleece headband, and the 180s-brand headphones pictured below. I may look a little odd with such a bundled head… but comfort over beauty!
Another idea that works for me:
I keep reading that when running in cold weather, one should dress in layers so he or she can take layers during the run. Ummm what?! I am not rich enough to just discard my jacket, sweatshirt, hat, and gloves on the side of the road! (Nor do I want to carry them as I run.) But something that’s worked for me is that after I run, I’ll come home and make a list of what the temperature was, what the wind chill was, what I wore and how I felt. That way, before a run, if I see on weather.com that the temp is going to be, say, 40 degrees, I’ll go to my little chart, look up what I wore on a 40-degree day, and dress accordingly. Now that I’ve been running for a few years, I don’t even have to take notes any more, as I’ve already experienced—and written about—most of the possible weather conditions Mother Nature might throw at me. Your list can be in a notebook, posted on your blog, or whatever works best for you. I keep mine as a Word document. I don’t bother with correct grammar, but I do make sure the list is detailed.
Here’s a sample from my Word document: 50-54 and sunny or cloudy or windy (wind 8ish mph to 28mph… yes even 28mph works without gloves, etc)—actually this is perfect running weather! It’s not too cold, but not too hot! Long-sleeved thin shirt, with no shirt over. No jacket, no leggings (just nike-type pants or gap black pants). No gloves (no fingerless mittens either). Use earmuff headphones. No hat nor headband.
Now, tips for early-morning running in a blizzard/ice storm/horrific weather:
Step One: Pull one hand out from beneath the blankets.
Step Two: Feel around with said hand for the alarm clock.
Step Three: Turn off the alarm clock.
Step Four: Roll over and GO BACK TO SLEEP! 😉
Scott in Ohio says
Great tips, Katie!
I definitely follow the “dress as if it’s 20* warmer” rule. Like you, I can’t just leave workout gear along the side of the road because I got too warm.
If you have a treadmill, warming up inside for just a quick couple of minutes before heading outside is a good trick.
Stay warm!
Katie says
I love the directions for running in a blizzard! It was -10 in Minneapolis this am and I saw several people outside running! I couldn’t help but think of how crazy they were while I was inside at the gym working out!
Bekah says
Great tips Katie! I’ll def be needing these when I move to school on the 23rd! AZ>>>> state of NY. AAAHHHH. It’s gonna be cold. And I totally get where you’re coming from saying TX is cold. AZ gets cold too! Except not recently.. its been like 70 degrees.
elizabeth says
great tips!! and i love the headphone earmuffs! i might have to invest in those!!
especially in when there’s a chance of ice, i remind myself to look down and watch my footing. its not as fun as looking at all the scenery, but i’d rather not sprain my ankle!
Katharina says
I loved this post!! You have such a great personality Katie 🙂 You’re so funny and these tips were helpful!! Thanks so much for sharing!
XOXO
Jenn says
When it’s cold out (and we’re talking in the negatives – like -4F and lower) I love love love my Balaclava.
Also, one thing that makes it easier to dress like it’s 20 degrees warmer is to put your base layer(s) in the dryer for a few minutes to warm up. That way you feel nice and toasty when you get started!
Jean says
Amazing tips Katie! I’m one of those [non]-tomato throwing Canadians:) Just set out on a 13 degree Farenheit run this morning and the two “gear” pieces that really helped were:
#1 – MITTENS (not gloves) as you mentionned, keeping the fingers together is key!
And #2 – LAYERS – I invested in some UNDER ARMOUR gear for my base and outer layers (I put 2 thermal layers on my top half in between the two for today’s temperature) – this stuff is amazing and it looks pretty chic too!
Crow says
I run with no shirt on. Always. Once I got in the habit of it, doing it in -7 C with wind is ok. If you reach thermal equilibrium with a good core temperature, the main risks are injury preventing safe continuation, and running out of energy before you get back to warmth and food. Cold really isn’t a big risk, compared to ice on the ground. I don’t concern myself with how the cold feels because it’s fun as soon as I get used to it, but I really take care with what I run on, and on the grip my feet have on it. So long as I can move without damaging muscle or something else, I can keep warm for a few hours. Below freezing can be easier than slightly above too, as it’s usually drier. Moving humid air has lots of cooling ability so I’m often a lot more comfortable with a very dry day than a damp near-freezing one even if the dry one is more than ten degrees colder. The excitement of going shirtless in that sort of cold helps too, stimulation makes us regulate heat better. I don’t even use gloves or mittens though if I lived in the US or Canada instead of south west UK, I’d do it because my fingers (and my nose) are always the first things to suffer if I’m not careful. The nose thing is interesting too, whatever most people wear, that usually gets overlooked. When I stop running, I usually hum quietly to myself, it regulates airflow out through my nose to keep it warm, and reduces the time I draw cold air in through it. This may sound odd, but little details like that make more difference to me than trying to escape the cold. The rest of me can easily be warmed up by moving around, but nose, fingers, and to a lesser extent, toes.. those stay cold if they get cold, even persisting that way long after I get back to warmth. If I take care of those, the rest takes care of itself, so long as energy is there to keep going.
Agi says
I see that several people from the UK run shirtless the whole year long, even in winter and it’s freezing. Actually, I usually run shirtless when the temperature goes above 15C or above 10C/50F and it’s sunny, as the idea to remove my shirt in the chilly weather makes me worried. Nevertheless, when I come back home, my singlet is totally wet with sweat, especially in these damp days. Should I try with no shirt on?
Marianne says
Hey now – not all of Canada gets weather like that. Us West Coasters barely see snow all year! I’ll still complain that it’s cold though 😉
5h0kw4v3 says
I, too, run shirtless regardless of the weather, but I’m here in the US.Last Winter, I went out in 20 degrees Fahrenheit shirtless (only shorts shoes, socks, and fingerless gloves) for a number of runs. One in particular was 3 hours long…and I never felt better!!
It isn’t exhibitionism or showing off…I do it for the challenge. And it just feels good…