Running in the snow

I love exercise outside in all kinds of weather. I do more fast walking if its slippery since its safer. I got shoes and boots with nonslidy soles so I dont break my back again. Dont let the weather keep you inside!!!!! I love my UnderArmour coldgear.

Gather round kids,

Grampa is gonna tell you a story about how I run year round on the Canadian prairies... for those of you who don't know me, some of my best runs have been 30 below freezing. I actually ran a half marathon at -40. I'm debating whether to run the Polar Bear Run across Lake Winnipeg from Gimli to Grand Marais (think its 30 Km) .... fun.

So if traction is a concern... Yak tracks work well... another that I have used is short hex head screws in the soles of your shoes. A couple of rows of screws ( think long enough to stick in the sole of the shoe, not log enough to go through the sole of your shoe, heel and toe box) will add amazing traction.

One thing to pay attention to is your gait... the longer your stride the harder your run will be. Try shortening your stride and keeping your feet beneath you. It helps to keep you vertical.

Now where was I again... Oh yeah... I prefer to think of winter as endurance conditioning time... running in the winter, I normally see a pace decline of about 1 minute per mile (give or take depending on road conditions, ice, temperature etc). I would never do speed work outside in the winter.

As for how to dress... dress like its 10 degrees warmer outside and wear layers.

Outside shell -> Goretex or other wind resistant textile
Mid layer -> Polar fleece (this is an insulating layer)
Inside layer -> Tech fabric that wicks moisture
Base Layer -> Tech fabric like underArmor

Socks -> Dual layer or smart wool
Shoes -> Normal shoes but add traction
Gloves -> Mine normally come off 10 minutes after I start, but I run hot anyways. If its really cold, I have some convertable gloves that flip over into mittens. They have what I call the "snot patch" a soft fuzzy patch on them for wiping your brow\eyes\nose etc.
Hat -> Ok in Canada we call them Toques... T OOO K but really a decent quality hat that will wick moisture and provide some wind proofing. It is true that you will lose a great deal of body heat thru your head... protect your noggin. Frostbitten ears suck too.

For your cheeks, a thin layer of vaseline will protect your face from wind burn.

Don't forget a head lamp and some way of letting drivers know you are there.

Other tidbits.... hmmm... I'm sure I'll think of something.

Oh yeah... your lungs will not freeze from breathing cold air. I have people ask me this all the time... the coldest I ever ran in was -55 up in Edmonton way back in December of 09. (That was with the windchill and was done on more of a dare). I ran a 5K... I had a little frostbite on my nose and yes it was uncomfortably cold, but my lungs were just fine. (I think you actually need to be dead before your lungs will freeze.) I remember it because I ran the Honolulu marathon about 5 days later... talk about a contrast of extremes... But that is a story for another day..

I have rambled on enough.

Hope some of this helps.

Happy Running!

I started running trails in the dead of winter. As has been said nothing to stop you medically then go for it. ive been out in -30c with windchills driving it colder to plus 30c with humidex into 40s.
Its not much but heres what i find works

Dress in layers, many advantages to this including if you start to get too hot you can take a layer off.

wear appropriate shoes for the weather and if there is any chance of ice cleats or crampons of some sort for sure. My preference are kahtoola micro spikes. they are AWESOME! i had them on last year trail running going full tilt down a trail that was packed snow with good footing when we blew out of the woods onto a steep side slope across a field that was a sheet of ice. with our momentum there was no way to stop before hitting the ice and with out the micro spikes it would have been one heck of a ride. With them it was like having super glue on your feet.... it was one of the most bizzare sensations i have ever had, running in full control and full speed across steep pitch ice just blew my mind lol. Any way you can get em any where but heres a link to their site http://kahtoola.com/product/microspikes/ . They are a bit weird to run on at first but i got use to them fast.

Keep your head covered and glasses seem to help my eyes from watering in the cold air. for a hat i prefer this thing i got at a race called a buff, multiple ways to wear em and i suspect i'll end up with another one so i can wear one over my face and one on my head. heres a link to them http://www.buffcanada.com/

I like those hot pockets packs or something similar for my gloves/mits on really cold runs. I also prefer mitts over gloves and usually end up tucking my thumbs in with my fingers.

Dont forget a suplly of kleenex lol

same as any run, listen to your body and run accordingly.

Most importantly keep running and enjoy being outside maybe see if you can find a group of other folks crazy enough to get out there in the cold with you. Trail running is awesome in the winter too, no worries of if the road is plowed etc and no worries of if there is ice or not, there is, its just a fact lol

I live in MN and run in the winter. However, I don't run on snow days. I wait until the roads are cleared and then run. I can usually get in 2 runs a week unless we are getting tons of snow. I don't like to run on icy roads either.

I have broken both my elbows in the last 8 years both from falls but not during a run. I was so scared of falling so I tried a Yak Trax but found them really slippery if you hit dry pavement. Last year I found a different one to put on my shoe called Ice Gripper and they worked really good not slippery on cement sidewalks that had been cleared or on compact snow and Ice lots of traction.
I live in the Canadian Rockies and run all winter whether it is snowing blowing or sunny and cold. I run up until about -30C.
I dress in layers and love it. Snow and cold is no reason to stay inside just dress for it and have fun.

As a Canadian, you all look pathetic. I put on all my regular running clothes and just go. Blizzard, -30, whatever. Don't be wimps. Just do it jfc

I think we are all saying to do it. I live in MN so I'm almost to canada. No one is being wimpy, just giving tips. Some ppl new to running have questions as weather changes.

Gather round kids,

Grampa is gonna tell you a story about how I run year round on the Canadian prairies... for those of you who don't know me, some of my best runs have been 30 below freezing. I actually ran a half marathon at -40. I'm debating whether to run the Polar Bear Run across Lake Winnipeg from Gimli to Grand Marais (think its 30 Km) .... fun.

So if traction is a concern... Yak tracks work well... another that I have used is short hex head screws in the soles of your shoes. A couple of rows of screws ( think long enough to stick in the sole of the shoe, not log enough to go through the sole of your shoe, heel and toe box) will add amazing traction.

One thing to pay attention to is your gait... the longer your stride the harder your run will be. Try shortening your stride and keeping your feet beneath you. It helps to keep you vertical.

Now where was I again... Oh yeah... I prefer to think of winter as endurance conditioning time... running in the winter, I normally see a pace decline of about 1 minute per mile (give or take depending on road conditions, ice, temperature etc). I would never do speed work outside in the winter.

As for how to dress... dress like its 10 degrees warmer outside and wear layers.

Outside shell -> Goretex or other wind resistant textile
Mid layer -> Polar fleece (this is an insulating layer)
Inside layer -> Tech fabric that wicks moisture
Base Layer -> Tech fabric like underArmor

Socks -> Dual layer or smart wool
Shoes -> Normal shoes but add traction
Gloves -> Mine normally come off 10 minutes after I start, but I run hot anyways. If its really cold, I have some convertable gloves that flip over into mittens. They have what I call the "snot patch" a soft fuzzy patch on them for wiping your brow\eyes\nose etc.
Hat -> Ok in Canada we call them Toques... T OOO K but really a decent quality hat that will wick moisture and provide some wind proofing. It is true that you will lose a great deal of body heat thru your head... protect your noggin. Frostbitten ears suck too.

For your cheeks, a thin layer of vaseline will protect your face from wind burn.

Don't forget a head lamp and some way of letting drivers know you are there.

Other tidbits.... hmmm... I'm sure I'll think of something.

Oh yeah... your lungs will not freeze from breathing cold air. I have people ask me this all the time... the coldest I ever ran in was -55 up in Edmonton way back in December of 09. (That was with the windchill and was done on more of a dare). I ran a 5K... I had a little frostbite on my nose and yes it was uncomfortably cold, but my lungs were just fine. (I think you actually need to be dead before your lungs will freeze.) I remember it because I ran the Honolulu marathon about 5 days later... talk about a contrast of extremes... But that is a story for another day..

I have rambled on enough.

Hope some of this helps.

Happy Running!

^^^^ This

As you can see from my profile picture I'm another crazy Canadian. If you're dressed properly it's never too cold to go for a run (for extreme cold weather I use a merino wool base layer). The only thing guaranteed to keep me indoors is freezing rain.

If you're going to run in winter also consider how visible you are. Bright colours, reflective stripes etc and if you're running when it's dark get a headlamp so you can see and be seen,

First, don't forget to drink water. On cold days, its really easy to forget. I find that if I get dehydrated, I get a chill that just won't go away even with a hot shower and tea.

Second, its not the snow thats bad, its the days after when it has melted and re-frozen over night. Find good areas that get well plowed/shoveled.

Finally, if you drive to run, keep dry clothes for after the run that you can quickly put on before you can change clothes. It makes all the difference in the world.