The Cold Weather Running Survival Guide

I'm a native of sunny California, where warm clothes, scarves, and gloves are more fashion items than a necessity. Where I'm from, seasons are not defined by a distinct change in weather patterns, but rather by the types of produce available at the local grocery store and by whether you're donning a football jersey or baseball cap to show love for the home team. I've moved from the single-season state, though, and have been a four-season transplant for last three years. But even after three winters, I'm still thrown by freezing temperatures and all this cold white stuff that shows up around the holidays.  So when a friend asked me, as a trainer and a runner, how to deal with icy and treacherous sidewalks as part of winter running, my initial reaction was, "Well, that's easy! Don't go running until it's warm outside! And if you must, grumble under your breath a bit, bundle up, and try not to slip." Clearly, this advice was not what my friend was looking for, so I thought about it a bit longer and realized that I've asked myself that same question a handful of times. My general tendency when I do find myself posing that question, however, is to give in to my California-based instinct that causes me to automatically recoil from any sub-55 degree weather. In short, I usually skip the run altogether, and eventually convince myself that rough-housing with my kids or doing some yoga poses will suffice until Spring.

But in all seriousness: by definition, as runners, a large majority of us want to maintain a certain level of training. Some of us want to be able to jump back into racing in the Spring without any lag time to get back to where we were before it cold. Some of us want to have the ability to apathetically pull on a favorite pair of jeans without having to worry if they make our butts look big. (Ok maybe that one's just me.) And most of us have acquired at least some degree of affinity for the endorphin flood that inundates our systems by the time we stop the timer on our watches. So what DO we do about icy sidewalks and uncomfortably cold winter weather?

Answer: No, you don't have to be as extreme as this guy! But we can deal with it, make lemonade of out lemons, and somehow make the snow, ice, and painfully cold temperatures a non-issue. And here's how:

There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing: Whoever came up with this observation was clearly a genius. At this point, there's not a whole lot we can't find to defend ourselves against the elements. But it's good to know what to look for:

• DO wear layers: It might seem like lower temperatures call for heavier clothes and more of them, but too many heavy layers can cause excessive sweating and put you more at risk for hypothermia. Hypothermia for distance runners is actually more common and dangerous than one might think, especially on runs lasting an hour or more. 
• Do NOT try to convince yourself that layers are for weenies! It may feel unnatural and limiting to bundle with layers if you're not used to it, but use your best sense and fight the urge to seem tougher than you are by skipping the layers altogether. (We already know you're tough - you're a runner!)
• Do NOT worry about looking fashionable: Ditch your self image and focus on keeping your body comfortable. You might look padded and goofy, but you won't be so fashionable if you get frostbite or hypothermia because you gave in to vanity.
• Your first layer: The clothes closest to your body should be able to sufficiently wick away moisture and sweat, which will help maintain a normal core body temperature and prevent hypothermia. Fabrics that do this best are generally made from synthetic fibers. Look for garments made of Polypropylene, wool, wool/synthetic blends, and treated polyesters like Capilene. Men may also want to consider briefs with strategically placed insulation to maintain comfort during and after cold weather outing.
• Your outer layer: Letting heat out and keeping cold from getting in is the name of the game, so you're best bet is to go with something made out of breathable, wind-repellent fabric. Look for Gortex or nylon, and try to find jackets with covering or closure over zippers to keep out any extra cold air or rain.
• Cotton is NOT your friend! Cotton has poor insulating ability, which continues to decrease as it becomes wet, so if you get stuck in the rain, you're pretty much SOL. Cotton may be the fabric of our lives, but if the phrase "braving the cold" comes to mind when planning your run, you'd be better off incorporating a few more fabrics into your life. 
• Wear hat and gloves: Maintaining a normal body temperature is key, so it would be a good idea to cover up two spots that are infamous for losing body heat quickly: head and hands. Cotton gloves are do-able in cold weather, but can definitely get cold quickly by soaking up sweat (yes, your hands sweat too!) Just keep in mind that, in normal conditions and compared to other main body parts, your fingers and hands may already have slightly lower levels of circulation simply because they're appendages. By leaving your poor little fingers exposed therefore further decreasing blood flow to that area, they're much more susceptible to frostbite. 
• You know what they say about big shoes ... they must be covering up some thick socks! Which is what you may want to consider in really cold temperatures. Really cold weather may call for not just one, but two pairs of socks, so cover your feet like you would the rest of your body: an inner polypropylene layer covered by an outer wool layer. If the weather's not too ridiculous and you're only going a short or moderate distance, you could probably get away with light cotton.

Ok swell, so now you won't freeze to death and will probably stay pretty dry. But during cold winters, you'll probably run across some ice ... But instead of running across or over it, you'll probably be sliding or slipping across it. (And I can tell you from experience that it's almost impossible to cover up slipping on ice the way you can play off tripping on the sidewalk by pretending you really did mean to start jogging instead of walking right then.) I suggest just sticking to running.

• Ice, ice, baby! Running through snow can be kinda fun, and is actually a great workout. But the same canNOT be said for ice. If you don't want to have to run with elbow pads, a helmet, and a big pillow strapped to your booty, I'd recommend doing your best to avoid ice-running altogether. Ice can be really tough to see in lower light, like early morning and evening, so try to get your workout in during the day. Just in case, for extra traction to help grip any unforseen ice and prevent slips and spills, you can buy ice traction slip ons. This fabulous little invention slips onto the bottoms of your shoes and help you "claw" the ground a bit as you run - kinda like the chains you use for car tires in the snow. They're pretty cheap (I think mine were $2) and easy to find at most sports equipment stores or online (just put "ice traction slip ons" into Google and voila.) 

Ok, so you're sufficiently layered - but not too much and not in cotton. It's midday, so you should be able to see and avoid hidden ice patches and you're even sporting your spiffy ice traction slip ons. Good to go? 

Not so fast. Consider a few extra key points before heading out:  

• Warm up and cool down: Before you go, warm up: do some jumping jacks, run around the living room, or have a dance party in front of the mirror - any of which will help get your blood flowing and loosen up your muscles. Warming up with help lessen the blow that'll hit your legs as you step out the door and will reduce your risk of injury as you run. Start out slowly to warm up gradually, also as a way to avoid pulls and strains. When you finish your run, don't skip stretching. Extreme temperatures make it harder for your muscles to safely respond to strenuous exercise, so give them the love they need and stretch them out after logging some mileage. 
• Start by running INTO the wind: Wind will undoubtedly make any temperature feel even colder and, since we all know evaporation is a cooling process, if you're sweaty and run into the wind, the air will feel a LOT colder than you'd planned for. By running into the wind when you're less sweaty (which I'm assuming is at the beginning of your run), you can avoid getting unnecessarily, and even dangerously, chilled.
• Stay hydrated! True or false: In cold weather, you sweat less, which means you don't need to drink as much water. FALSE! Staying hydrated for cold weather exercise is just as important, if not more so, than working out in moderate or warm temperatures. Even if you don't feel like you're really sweating, your perspiration levels don't decrease just because it's cold, especially if you're properly layered. And along with any fluids lost through sweat, you'll also lose large amounts of fluid through exhaled water vapor, which happens when the colder temperature of the air causes its humidity to drop closer to zero. 

NOW you're set! So, if you're still itching to get out for a run in the cold, it may mean having to splurge on some new running garb so you don't freeze your patooties off. And even if a winter run means you'll probably have to trudge through some patches of snow, or maybe even get a chance to practice your ice skating moves ... minus the skates ... I'm pretty sure you'll survive. Who knows - you might actually like it and be crazy enough to try it again tomorrow.