Well, there's no denying it now. The leaves have almost fully turned & the weather is definitely getting much colder. The dog days of summer are long gone. Just yesterday the first snow flakes of the season begin to fall during my long run. Winter is coming!
One of the the best things about living in upstate NY are the seasons. But they're also one of the worst things too. But that entirely depends on your perspective. Before I started my 1st running streak as soon as the first snowfall of the season came down I took all of my running indoors to my local gym and the treadmill. I was a firm believer that winter running was much too dangerous because of ice. Besides, who wants to run when it's that freaking cold out? For many winters I was content to log hundreds of miles while watching CNN or the occasional attractive female runner in front of me. The girls always take the front row of treadmills, the men always the back row. It's nice to have a little extra incentive!
After I started streak running though, I made a concerted effort to get outside more during wintertime. I made some mistakes & had some brutally cold experiences. I never knew that part of my body could get frostbite! The realization of what happened began to dawn on me as I started to thaw out in a hot shower. Several nervous minutes later I was in the clear. But it was a close enough call that from that moment on I decided that I'd always wear underwear underneath my running tights. Whew!
Along with those cold first few lessons I discovered that wintertime running wasn't as bad as it seems. Unlike the summertime, during winter there's hardly anyone's outside & there's a peacefulness to the neighborhood. There's less traffic to deal with too. Although you need to be extra vigilant because the drivers on the road have even more challenges seeing you during snowstorms. After running all summer the landscape can get a little monotonous. But during winter the landscape changes completely & everything just looks cleaner.
One of my favorite winter runs was during a late day blizzard. Nobody had any right to be out there, visibility was at an all time zero. But I wanted to be out there. So to make sure a snow plow didn't run me over I took my run to the trails that afternoon. Even though it was a short three miles, I earned each step because the snow was about 5 inches deep. There I was huffing & puffing along when I happened to look up as I broke through a clearing on the trail. The scene was like something out of a picture book. Not a soul out there. Pristine white everywhere & the peacefulness of the silence was something that I'll never forget!
As I continue on with my 2nd running streak I'm planning on getting some wintertime running in the books again. Here's a little list of helpful tips if you're considering giving it a try:
1. Wear layers that can be peeled off. Learning how to dress for winter running can be tricky. Throw in some moderate winds & that one confuses the situation. You don't want to sweat too much because that can freeze & make you even colder. Extra layers trap heat. Mittens are warmer than gloves. It's always a good idea to wear a cap because you can loose almost half of your body heat through your head..
2. Wear highly visible clothing & lights. Drivers are usually distracted nowadays. Reduced visibility & an earlier sunset increase the danger when out there. By wearing both you can greatly increase your safety.
3. Consider wearing a trail shoe, store bought shoe traction aids or even installing screws into the soles of your running shoes. If you check out my YouTube page I have a video that I posted years ago on how to do this. The screws work very well on ice, don't damage the shoe & can even be removed in the summer. There's some shoes out there that are waterproof & have Gor-Tex lining. I have a pair of them that I strictly use during winter. I keep the screws in them all year.
4. More important than the summertime, tell someone where you're going running & when you'll be back. Carry a cellphone! I know some runners don't like carrying them. But I've been on some winter runs where the weather turned quickly from "What a beautiful winter day." to "Oh shit, I can't see or feel my fingers!" I've had to be rescued about three times. You know if I call for a pick up, that it's cold out there!
5. This should be a no brainier, use some common sense. Winter running may seem nonsensical to most people. But it's quite doable. Just be careful about the temperature. You can run in below zero conditions. I have many times. Just ensure that you cover every piece of exposed skin. Facemasks work really well.
6. On a final note, try to remember that a speed workout probably won't be possible on ice and that your paces may have to be adjusted too. Any ice is dangerous. but black ice doesn't even give you a fighting chance because you can't see it.
Give winter running a try. It's beautiful and the looks that you'll get from stunned motorists are priceless. Every now & then I get a thumbs up. You just gotta love some people's determination!
One of my favorite winter runs was during a late day blizzard. Nobody had any right to be out there, visibility was at an all time zero. But I wanted to be out there. So to make sure a snow plow didn't run me over I took my run to the trails that afternoon. Even though it was a short three miles, I earned each step because the snow was about 5 inches deep. There I was huffing & puffing along when I happened to look up as I broke through a clearing on the trail. The scene was like something out of a picture book. Not a soul out there. Pristine white everywhere & the peacefulness of the silence was something that I'll never forget!
As I continue on with my 2nd running streak I'm planning on getting some wintertime running in the books again. Here's a little list of helpful tips if you're considering giving it a try:
1. Wear layers that can be peeled off. Learning how to dress for winter running can be tricky. Throw in some moderate winds & that one confuses the situation. You don't want to sweat too much because that can freeze & make you even colder. Extra layers trap heat. Mittens are warmer than gloves. It's always a good idea to wear a cap because you can loose almost half of your body heat through your head..
2. Wear highly visible clothing & lights. Drivers are usually distracted nowadays. Reduced visibility & an earlier sunset increase the danger when out there. By wearing both you can greatly increase your safety.
3. Consider wearing a trail shoe, store bought shoe traction aids or even installing screws into the soles of your running shoes. If you check out my YouTube page I have a video that I posted years ago on how to do this. The screws work very well on ice, don't damage the shoe & can even be removed in the summer. There's some shoes out there that are waterproof & have Gor-Tex lining. I have a pair of them that I strictly use during winter. I keep the screws in them all year.
4. More important than the summertime, tell someone where you're going running & when you'll be back. Carry a cellphone! I know some runners don't like carrying them. But I've been on some winter runs where the weather turned quickly from "What a beautiful winter day." to "Oh shit, I can't see or feel my fingers!" I've had to be rescued about three times. You know if I call for a pick up, that it's cold out there!
5. This should be a no brainier, use some common sense. Winter running may seem nonsensical to most people. But it's quite doable. Just be careful about the temperature. You can run in below zero conditions. I have many times. Just ensure that you cover every piece of exposed skin. Facemasks work really well.
6. On a final note, try to remember that a speed workout probably won't be possible on ice and that your paces may have to be adjusted too. Any ice is dangerous. but black ice doesn't even give you a fighting chance because you can't see it.
Give winter running a try. It's beautiful and the looks that you'll get from stunned motorists are priceless. Every now & then I get a thumbs up. You just gotta love some people's determination!
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