Running in sub freezing temps (Read 1041 times)

Alright, I had planned on running when when I travel - however, living in the desert southwest has made it so 1) I am not very tolerant to the cold and 2) I do not generally have the gear to be running around in freezing cold temps - hiking, yes, because I don't sweat as much - running? not so much. That and I'm not sure of the ice conditions either. Recommendations? Dreadmilling is not an option - no gym is available and no family/friends have one I can "borrow" Course, I wont be traveling long and I could just say "oh well, I'm resting" and pick back up the training when I get back....

I tend to follow the same regimen. However, at night I throw on my "cyclops" headlight on before heading out. I went out yesterday in the freezing drizzle (34 degrees) and felt a bit overdressed. One little trick that I picked up from RA was to stuff your shoes with newspaper after a wet run...it worked brilliantly. I think the most important part is to have gloves, the heat your body will generate will suffice. I too would prefer to run in the cooler weather. Depending on the distance I don't have to worry about toting along water!

hmm. I'll have to write and see if there's snow/ice on the roads - that will also be a killer for me, as there are hills along the route, and no sidewalks. Right now, the temps (almost midday) are still in the low single digits farenheight - things should warm up a little bit by the time I do my traveling, but not much. A friend of mine has suggested I stop by the local Y to see if they have guest passes available.

Today I had a glorious run. It was about 15º F with windchill around 10. But the sun was shining brightly. That really makes a lot of difference in my running pleasure. I was mostly running on fairly packed snow over asphalt that wasn't too slippery. There were a few icy spots, but they were pretty easy to avoid. For clothes I had on a pair of heavy power-stretch fleece gloves, medium-weight Smartwool socks, and a polypro shirt with a fleece top and windbreaker on top. On my legs I had power-stretch fleece pants and wind pants. I was perfectly comfy. I worked up a sweat, but I was not overly warm or chilled. It was definitely one of my best runs in recent weeks. I did almost 5.5 miles. But I will say that I am fairly well acclimated to Winter weather, since I have always lived in the upper Midwest. I know that it takes some getting used to living in different climates, much less exercising. Perhaps you could bring appropriate clothes (layers) and try at least getting out the door and going a few blocks...then just seeing how you feel and turning back if you don't feel comfortable. k

*chases down Poppit and gives her a well-deserved kick in the pants* k

I've read where they say to dress as if it's about 20 degrees warmer than what it is. You'll start out cold, but warm up pretty quick.

Very good advice. I almost always end up warmer than I thought, except my fingers which at the moment are so cold from our 20 degree day that I can't type. Get some good warm weather gear, layer it ... and get the stuff with zippers - being able to unzip halfway into a run when find yourself unexpectedly hot is a godsend. Sounds to me like your question is a really good excuse to blow a lot of money at the running store.

I agree with what's been said so far. A few things to add: 1) Be aware of the wind (speed and direction)! It feels a hell of a lot colder to run into the wind than not. A wet, windy day at 25˚F is way more dangerous (IMO) than a calm, dry day at below 10˚F. If there is wind, I'd suggest you run a loop and start going into the wind. That way, you don't have to run into it on the way back when you may be sweaty/tired/overwhelmed. 2) Since you're traveling and may not know the area that well, consider doing a number of small loops (always staying close to home base) so that you don't have far to walk home if something goes wrong! 3) IMO, the most important articles of clothing for winter running are gloves/mittens, hat/earcover, large warm scarf. 4) If you're going for some long runs, watch out for chafing. You're going to sweat more than you expect under all those layers. Personally, I generally only wear a few thin layers on the rest of my body (just a couple layers of longsleeve technical fabrics, sometimes a lightweight windbreaker, nothing thick. I almost never wear tights as my legs are usually the warmest part), but I wear the warmest gloves available as my hands seem to set the temperature for the rest of my body. Also, I have a long and extra-wide scarf that I rap around my neck (as that area can really take a beating from the wind) and stuff the ends down the front of my shirt (acts as a little warming layer on the front, which gets most of the wind). Running in the cold definitely is a bigger pain (requires doing a lot more laundry!) than in the heat, but it does leave you feeling pretty awesome for the rest of the day!

Sounds to me like your question is a really good excuse to blow a lot of money at the running store.

Thanks everyone for all your advice. As for blowing a wad of $ at the running store, unfortunately I can't bring myself to do it - I have a ton of technical clothing as it is (I do a LOT of hiking) and I've got a ginormous expense expected in a few months. My family tells me there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground, so the originally planned route isn't going to work, and it has me rather worried about traction. The query to the Y was not so positive - I'm not a member, and they don't do day passes - I don't think anyone of my family is my member either. It appears it has warmed up a little bit, so I think I'll see what all of my gear I can stuff into my pack (I generally still refuse to check anything on flights) and will see if I can't get a run in - if not, I can do a run when I get back, since I won't be travelling for too long.