Cold Weather Marathon Training
Way to go! You’ve signed up for a spring marathon! That’s awesome, really! You’re giving yourself a very positive reason to get out or to continue your running journey through one of the most difficult times of the year! Winter in the Midwest is no joke! It causes many people to stay indoors and maybe even put on some unwanted pounds during the holiday season. Continuing to be active and focused on your marathon will help with this, both with keeping you active and the endorphins will assist in adding some positivity during some otherwise depressing cold winter months.
If you signed up for a spring marathon, you’re going to prep for it in the cold, unpredictable months of the Midwest. You could do the training on a treadmill. But if you want to do it outside it will come with some additional precautions. Please keep this in mind that in order to successfully run in the wintertime, you need to respect the temperatures, the conditions, and where you’ll be performing the training. That’s where I come in! I’ve gone out in some of the worst conditions and learned the hard way, so you didn’t have to!
This post will walk you through some of the safety concerns to take when going out on snowy/icy roads, help you with what to wear, and even give some tips on how to get some hydration/fuel when you need a long run in those conditions!
We’ve all seen some nasty, slippery ice and have had to find ways to tend with that. Have you tried to run on it? My go to over the wintertime is to take 3/8” hex head machine screws or even IceSpikes (www.icespikes.com) and screw them into the bottom of your shoes for that added friction to stay upright. Be careful about the length of the screws and the width of your soles though. Placement of the screws is crucial, but you need to have the sole of the shoe be wide enough. When installing, do so at about 3/8” to ¼” from the outer edge of the shoe. This will ensure that you have enough surface area to retain the screw, and this should also help with the placement of the foot as you’re taking those steps. I put about 6 of them around the heel and another 6-8 around the forefoot to get the traction needed. To date, I’ve never fallen when I wear them!
Another pointer to make about the icy conditions is to listen to the sound of you landing. If you’re hearing a crunching sound, its’ a very good thing! It means the ground is getting reshaped to your foot and you’re getting that friction needed. If you don’t, there’s a potential you could be landing on ice and you should be careful!
Dressing for the conditions needs to be something that you’re comfortable with. There are people with Raynaud’s Disease that are able to continue to run outside if they’re able to cover up exposed skin. It’s totally doable if you do it correctly and safely! First rule is to make sure to dress for 10 degrees warmer than it is. As you run, your body will warm up. It’s science! Ever hear of the rule to never trust the first mile? This is, in part, where that comes from as your first mile can be the coldest mile you run because your body is getting used to it! If you dress in too many layers, you’re going to end up shedding those layers or sweating too much which is really not good in the cold! Start with shorter distances and work your way up. Keep note of what the temp was, what the windchill was and what you wore and how it went.
The temperature aspect of running outside is very much a personal preference or necessity. I don’t like wearing pants, so I will try wearing shorts as long into the season. This means I’ll run in temps down to about 20 degrees in shorts and a t-shirt, or maybe a long-sleeved compression shirt. When wearing your layers, keep in mind that cotton layers is a bad thing. They will hold in the sweat your body is trying to use to cool itself off. If that sweat is held there it’s not a good thing in the cold weather! That held in sweat can also be bad for chafing! Anyone that has taken a shower after the run and felt that refreshing feeling of fire on the skin knows that you need to do what it takes to prevent that! The sweat can be a good thing to help cool the skin. But if left for longer periods of time, that salty moisture is actually weakening the skin and will assist in the chafing taking effect that much worse! Try a moisture wicking material and also something tighter fitting so it’s not moving against the skin! Guys, protect those nipples using a lubricant like Body Glide or Squirrels Nut Butter! Trust me! You’ll be thankful you did!
If the windchill brings it cooler than 20 degrees, I’ll wear pants and maybe a jacket (depending on how strong the wind is). To that temperature threshold, I have lighter weight gloves that I will wear and may also include a hat and glasses. The windier it gets, the more I need glasses (tinted yellow for dark lighting or dark lenses for lighter) as I know my eyes will water if I try without. As I dip below there, I’ll add the jacket and maybe a mask. From 0 and down I will wear a mask which for me is wearing 2 neck gators. The first goes around my neck and up over the back of my head and covering my face and the other goes over my head. If it gets too warm, I can easily take one off and wrap around my arm to continue running like that. Most of the time, I only need the mask for the first few miles and don’t need it later into the run. But there have been windy runs where it’s needed!
For your fuel/hydration, try your best to keep it as close to your body to ensure it doesn’t freeze. You’ve got it! If you go out in cold enough temperatures, there is a possibility your fuel or water could freeze! I’ve tried to have a hydration pack and ran down the road trying to squeeze all the ice out of the tube because I didn’t think enough ahead! Nothing worse than 6-8 miles into a long run and you can’t drink because it’s frozen solid! I’ve heard recommendations to put a little alcohol in there, so it doesn’t freeze and also seen the suggestion to blow the water out of the tube back into the bladder. There is still enough condensation left in here to freeze so that didn’t work. When I buy my running jackets, I’ll buy them in a size just a little larger so I can wear the hydration pack under the jacket. There is the added fumbling with the drinking tube and needing to unzip the jacket. But I can do so freely without a frozen tube!
In conclusion, research before you go out! There is no reason to be scared to go out running in the wintertime and there is always a condition out there that has been tested and resolved. There is always the treadmill. But, if you get to the start line and you’re seeing snow coming down or you’re unsure of your conditions, remember that’s why we train in those conditions! Good luck!