I began my athletic life as a swimmer in sunny San Diego. Winter meant that occasionally an icy pool deck would greet us in the wee hours of the morning or rain would pound our already water logged bodies. When I moved back East for college, winter meant wool coats, hats, and gloves; but, the weather had no bearing on my life as an athlete since our pool was in an indoor, climate controlled building.
After college I added running and cycling to my repertoire and all of the sudden the weather mattered, especially since my education took me to Chicago, a city known for its uncompromising winters. I quickly had to become an expert on all things cold weather, as my thinned California blood was not at all ready for the assault of lake effect snow or the brutal wind.
I adapted quickly, because like many athletes, I much preferred to exercise outdoors, if at all possible. And that is a key phrase, if at all possible. There are heartier souls than I who will venture outdoors for training in all weather conditions; I will not. I have some personal limits on temperature and road conditions, variables that differ wildly from person to person.
Training in the winter requires a change of mindset, proper gear, and understanding your limitations.
Change of mindset
Even though I have lived in cold weather climates for many decades, I still hate winter. As the length of the days wane and the mercury drops, I always feel a sense of dread. It takes a total refocusing of my mindset to forge through the winter months– I have to override the natural inclination of my brain.
Each year, I remind myself of Colorado’s special beauty only found during winter: pink mountains at sunrise, blankets of fresh snow, iced over lakes, and the stark contrast of the distant, white peaks against a bright blue winter sky. Winter will never be my favorite season, but since it does last for a considerable chunk of the year, bemoaning the loss of summer is unproductive and only serves to make the winter creep by more slowly. A mindset change only happens if you let it.
Mix up your training. For example, turn a run into a snowshoe workout or swap out a cycling session for a day on the slopes. Fat bikes are all the rage now and are brilliant in the snow.
Learn to appreciate how the change in climate changes the look of your surroundings. Winter is often the most important time of year to lean on your training partners to help propel you through the cold, dark days. Understand that your times will generally be slower the colder it gets, and dodging icy patches will also affect your speed. If you have a key session where your time really matters, consider doing the workout inside instead.
Be smart about training in cold and icy conditions. Being able to brag to your buddies about training in the most inclement weather is not a good enough reason to do it, which, believe me, I have done to my detriment. An ingrained loathing for indoor training is also unproductive. Part of a mindset change about winter is switching to a mindset of making good decisions. Falls are all too common during the winter, and a hacking cough due to the cold temperature from running outside is going to undermine any fitness gains.
Change negative thoughts into positive ones. If you are continually griping about the weather, no matter how hard you are trying to change your attitude, you should probably train indoors for a few days to reset.
Think about scheduling a warm weather get-away for a race. Knowing that a race is looming can help motivate you to keep training and is a nice respite from the frigid days. The Surf City Half Marathon is a Southern California stalwart or hightail it down to Florida for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. You can venture even further south to Ironman Puerto Rico 70.3.
Gear up
Nothing is more important than proper gear when it comes to training outside during the winter. Layering is the best strategy, as it allows you to keep warm at the start and then shed clothes as needed. Begin with a thin base layer that will help keep the sweat off your body. One or two long sleeved shirts, and a vest or a jacket, can help trap in the heat.
A thick pair of tights will mostly do the trick on your legs, but for very cold or wet days, wear a thin tight with a waterproof or warm top layer. Ultimately, the laundry basket fills up quickly with so many layers, but the extra time spent washing is worth the effort when it comes to comfort.
If you live in an area prone to snowy conditions, snow cleats such as YakTrax or Stabilicers easily fit over most shoes to aid with grip on the tenuous surfaces. Screw Shoes can also provide much needed stability, but entail some assembly. Beware, though: when it comes to extreme ice, neither solution will completely protect you from falling, so be careful!
If it is not quite snowy enough for snow cleats, but the roads are not totally clear, choose a shoe that has a firm tread that will provide some traction. Leave the racing flats for better conditions.
Your extremities and face are the most susceptible to the cold. Warm socks are a must when the temperature drops or if it is wet outside. Generally, the feet do not get as cold running as they do cycling because the pounding maintains circulation. Cold hands and fingers can ruin the best runs. Mittens with a thin glove underneath can provide the extra warmth you’ve been craving. Use hand and toe warmers as needed. A balaclava, face mask, or buff will help keep your face and neck warm. Pulling the material over your face allows you to inhale warm (recycled) air which is less irritating on the lungs. I offer a disclaimer though. The material turns kinda gross with saliva and snot and can freeze after a while, which necessitates rotating the material around and then requires a thorough sanitizing afterwards.
It is important to warm up as quickly as possible after a cold-weather adventure. Remove your workout clothes immediately; as athletes we are known to languish far too long in our dirty, smelly gear. If a hot shower and warm, dry clothes do not stop my shivers, I have been known to crawl back into bed and curl up with my dog until I am suitably reheated.
Know your limitations
Establish a temperature limit – everyone’s is different, so do not predicate your lower limit on what works for someone else. While I am not a fan of running on the treadmill, I will run indoors on occasion; since I have asthma, running in the cold is more about preserving my lungs than staying warm and makes my temperature limit much higher than my training partners. Indeed, even athletes who DO NOT have asthma, can experience asthma-like symptoms from cold-weather running.
Two other considerations when training in cold temperatures are hypothermia and frostbite. Temperature and wind-speed combine to create the greatest risks; use the handy guide on page 4 to help you make decisions about the safety of training outside in extreme conditions.
If you are like me, you might never fully embrace the winter. However, with a little finesse, winter can become less onerous and by spring you will appreciate the warmer temperatures more than ever.
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Joanna Zeiger, MS, PhD, raced as a professional triathlete from 1998-2010. She placed fourth in the triathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won the 2008 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships. She is a seven-time Olympic trials qualifier in three sports — marathon, triathlon and swimming. Joanna still pursues her passion for sports as a top Masters runner. Through her company, Race Ready Coaching, Joanna trains endurance athletes to reach their personal best and instills in them the importance of having fun even when they are training hard. When she is not coaching or training for running events, Joanna works as a consultant in the field of biostatistics. Joanna’s book The Champion Mindset: An Athlete’s Guide to Mental Toughness will be published in February 2017 by St. Martin’s Press.
