Every year it seems as if, despite the inevitability of winter, the running outside in winter thing comes as a sudden shock. I had to laugh when I sat down to write this post because I did a little search of the blog for past posts on winter running. That yielded not one, not two, not three, but four posts of my own on running in winter, plus posts by Susan and Sam.
The annual winter running post idea (brilliant and original, I know!) came to me because Sunday was my first real winter run of the season. The kind with snow and wind and cold. And it wasn’t even a lot of any of them. But still, brrrrrr. Because even as a Canadian I have to acclimatize every single winter.
Once I do, it’s brilliant really. I mean, you can dress for most winter running conditions and be quite comfortable. The worst part of it is if it’s icy. But with the right gear I can handle cold and wind and even snow. It’s just a matter of getting my head in the winter game after what I think of as the perfect conditions that fall presents. And whether because of global warming or good luck, we have had extended fall conditions this year. That always lulls me into a false sense of “this is going to last forever!”
If you’re in a part of the northern hemisphere that is about to force you to get your head in the winter running game, here’s a list of all of our winter running posts in one place. Enjoy!
Winter Running Plans. Check! (Tracy I)
Hitting the Winter Running Wall (Tracy I)
Plantar Fasciitis! Way Worse than Winter Running (Tracy I)
Getting Over the Fear of Winter Running (Tracy I–it’s odd to think back to a time when I was afraid of winter running)
Gearing Up for Winter Running (Tracy I–about my very first winter of running outside)
Running in Winter (Outdoor or Indoor…Ice or Monotony) (Susan)
I Like It in the Dark: Winter and the Joys of Night Time Riding and Running (Sam)
Running: My Winter Plan (Sam)
How do you feel about winter running? Let us know!
Oh no I would die! I’ll rather hug my blanket or at least do sports indoors 😉
I like running outdoors in the winter, though I will slow down and have fewer expectations about pace and distance if there’s snow or ice!
The thing that trips me up, more than the cold, is the dark – in the warmer months, I will happily run in the late afternoon/early evening. Since I prefer not to run in the dark AND cold (I can do either/or), I have to switch over to morning runs or else exercise indoors if I want to do things later in the day.
Reblogged this on FIT IS A FEMINIST ISSUE and commented:
As I brace myself again for winter running, this post from last year seems a propos. Why does winter running always feel SO HARD at the beginning, when it’s not even as cold or icy or windy as it’s going to get?