Forums >Running 101>How does the cold effect running.
Hi Everyone,
Well I'm not sure where everyone is from here, but today we Nova Scotian (Canada) folk got frost... I heard a rumor that an hour north of here got some snow flurries
I just started running a month ago, and I'm wondering when is it too cold to run (or is it?) what things do I need to consider when it gets colder, I purchased a nice pair of running pants that they said at the store should keep me through most of fall, and I got a hoody shirt thing that was the perfect thickness for today's 2 degree weather. But what happens after that?
I warm up inside on my exercise bike, same with my cool down, and I stretch inside.
Is it dangerous to run when the snow hits the ground? I'm a bit concerned that our sidewalks barely got shovelled last year, that I wont be able to get out my door to even start my run let alone safely navigate my route.
Thanks, I must admit I'm a bit of a whimp when it comes to exercising, I used to train horses and we built an indoor arena so we didn't have to train in the snow... lol.
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people." - Bill Bowerman
A more realistic view:
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing."
Warming up/down inside is a good idea and so long as you have some good windproof clothing you'll do just fine. Running generates a ton of heat and you'll be surprised how little you actually need to wear on your core. Hands/face/feet will need plenty of layers though.
With regards to snow and ice; use your common sense and take it easier. There's no reason you can't still get out though. Especially if you have some studded off road shoes (Inov 8 for example) or Yak Trax (http://www.yaktrax.co.uk/).
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people." - Bill Bowerman A more realistic view: "There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing." Warming up/down inside is a good idea and so long as you have some good windproof clothing you'll do just fine. Running generates a ton of heat and you'll be surprised how little you actually need to wear on your core. Hands/face/feet will need plenty of layers though. With regards to snow and ice; use your common sense and take it easier. There's no reason you can't still get out though. Especially if you have some studded off road shoes (Inov 8 for example) or Yak Trax (http://www.yaktrax.co.uk/).
Love the quotes... I'm definitely a "soft person" I've yet to even run in the rain, I was fortunate the last few rain days have been yoga days.
Never thought of any sort of traction products, I'm discovering this running endeavour is a little more expensive than I thought if you want to be safe... lol
Is this something I can get at your typical sports store, like Running Room, or Cleves?
Marquess of Utopia
<cite>www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm</cite>
Cheap way to run on snow and ice.
No Talent Drips
Linked. I did this last year and it worked great in a snowy Maine winter.
Dei Gratia
A balaclava (face mask) is good when the temperature is below zero Fahrenheit. My profile photo shows icicles from a run at about ten below. At -20 F, the little ice balls on my eyelashes pull my eyelids shut. But I'm comfortable inside the clothing, so I don't have to be macho studly to run in cold weather.
Oh roo roooo!
I found some spikeless XC shoes on sale last fall and bought them (seriously, like $20, dirt cheap) to use in the snow. They work pretty well--don't know that they'd be ideal for a 20-miler, but for what I used them for, they worked fine. Most roads by us are plowed--not down to bare road surface but definitely packed and runnable most of the time. I would use the shoes for when the snow was still a little loose, the "running in sand" effect. Not sure if that would be an option for you but thought I'd toss it out there.
Plus, the shoes are this god-awful overall blue, the color that in a crayon box is called "sky blue"....they are just bizarre.
Cold Running in interior Alaska should give you some ideas on what's possible. I live in southcentral AK, more coastal, so don't get extremes of hot and cold that they do. There are 3 major winter ultras up here - on snowy trails - and one on bike paths.
Winter tips: dress in layers with synthetic or wool clothes. For coldest temperatures, mittens rather than gloves. Hat with ear flaps or ear band. Some use balaclava. I can't remember what it's called that I like. It's somewhat like a balaclava, but the head part is more like a hat with thicker layering, and mask part is lighter weight and easier to breathe through. I might use a neoprene face mask when it's windy (like 50mph).
Traction devices: screw shoes, as already mentioned. Or Due North get-a-grips (pointier so more weight per sq inch) for icier conditions. These are easy to get on and off for everyday wear getting across parking lots to buildings. We use Kahtoola microspikes a lot when we've got packed snow. I run on trails most of the time, but on occasion a paved bike path, which is sometimes plowed.
Run by effort rather than pace.
Winter running can be lots of fun right after a fresh snowfall. You just have to be prepared for the temperatures and trail conditions.
Have fun.
PS: You might want to be a little more cautious your first year since you're very new to running.
We're having a warm fall, so the snow is still in the mountains and not lower so far, at least where I am. Those days are numbered.
I'm from Southern Ontario so we don't get quite as cold as you do but still quite chilly in the winter. Running in snow isn't bad, but ice is very dangerous. I twisted my knee on some last winter and even now it aches if I overdo it. I use Yaktrax in the snow, they seem to help a lot with traction, esp if the roads are plowed and then what remains is packed down. I actually find it better because it's a softer running surface than cement. And +1 on the proper clothing thing. Vests are great I find, you don't need a fancy running one, I have a $20 that works great. You can also layer sweatpants on top of running leggings. I'll probably think of more later but I'm off for my run while it's still daylight.
P.S. New Brunswick got some snow I heard. We've had frost but snow is still a month or so away for us. If we're fortunate more than a month.
Sulphur Springs 50km-- Ancaster, ON-- May 28, 2022
Tally in the Valley 12 hours-- Dundas, ON -- July 30, 2022 (Support SickKids Toronto)
Stokely Creek-- 56km-- Sault Ste. Marie, ON-- Sept. 24, 2022
I'll take snow and freezing temperatures any day over high heat and humidity. In the winter my only fear is ice, and other posters have given solutions for that. Running in the winter is really no problem; just keep running and you'll probably run more often than not on scheduled run days.
not bad for mile 25
I love running on an inch or two of new snow. I have also run in freezing rain. The coating of ice on my body made me a fearsome apparition. The quarter inch of ice on my glasses made me approximately as blind with them as without. Great fun.
... We're having a warm fall, so the snow is still in the mountains and not lower so far, at least where I am. Those days are numbered.
Little did I realize what the mountains had in store for me this afternoon when I wrote that. Snow flurries as well as a little bit of accumulated snow on the ridge and north-facing slope. All is still well down low though.
Feeling the growl again
I've run in most all conditions. Cold by itself should not be an issue if properly dressed. I like running in some snow, especially fresh and crunchy.
One thing to consider is that it will work your body differently, so watch out for that. It's typical to experience some slippage on snowy roads, which can tweak the hamstrings. Being new, just be cognizant and careful.
Our issue here...I am on the far eastern edge of the Great Plains....is wind. I live in a rural area and no matter what I do I have not been able to address the biting wind on days 10F or colder with windchills far below 0F. Of course I have a treadmill so when a ski mask becomes necessary I typically just get soft and run indoors.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
...Our issue here...I am on the far eastern edge of the Great Plains....is wind. I live in a rural area and no matter what I do I have not been able to address the biting wind on days 10F or colder with windchills far below 0F. Of course I have a treadmill so when a ski mask becomes necessary I typically just get soft and run indoors.
I've found the neoprene or windstopper stuff to work really well in the 50+mph winds. We're not consistently windy, but when the pressure changes so the winds blow down the glacial valley, it's typically 50mph for 3+ days. Occasionally get 70-90mph winds. (I tend to avoid running in these if I can because I can't always control where my body's going - been there, done that.) I treat wind (need to block the wind) and temperatures (need insulation) as two different things. For the amount of time I'd be running in those conditions, I tend not to overheat.
But, yea, if you've got a tm handy (esp if you have kids you're babysitting), using it makes sense.
A more realistic view: "There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate climates to live in."
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate climates to live in."
FIFY
couldn't live in the cold, cold north.
Though, when I have ran up north they dealt with the snow and it was safer to run in than during the freak inch of snow we got down here that shut down everything for a week.
I can't say that there's no temperature too cold to run in as I've never ran below 6F because it's never been that cold in the same place I'm existing, but I know down to that it's all clothing.