Winter running. If you live in the northern part of the US and are training for runDisney Marathon Weekend, Princess Weekend, or any other spring race, chances are some of your training runs are not going to be sunny and warm. For our first ever half marathon, Blake and I chose the runDisney Wine and Dine in early November specifically to avoid winter training, but now that we are training for the Eau Claire marathon in western Wisconsin in late April, winter running has become a big part of our lives. As we close out on our marathon training (and hopefully close out on winter weather too!), we’d like to share some of the tools we’ve used to make winter training not only tolerable but fun!
1) Layer up! This one may seem obvious, but it took us some trial and error at the beginning of the winter to really nail down our winter running attire. Too little clothing and you’re in for a freezing, unpleasant run. Too many layers and the excess sweat will eventually freeze you just as much! In addition to the fleece-lined tights, thermal long sleeve, and hat, we found a few other pieces that really made a difference this winter.
Specific running gloves help immensely. We have some that can be converted from mittens to gloves mid-run, so your hands stay warmer at the beginning of the run and can then cool off a bit as your body warms up.
A windbreaker. It’s amazing what a difference blocking the wind can do for keeping in body heat during a run. Even in below-freezing temps, wearing a windbreaker works wonders by providing a very light layer that both holds in body heat and keeps the sometimes arctic air off of your skin.
Overall, our number one tip when it comes to winter running gear is to visit your local running store, if you have one. Our local running store has been our absolute best resource for questions related to running gear, and they were the ones who recommended some of our most useful pieces of winter running apparel.
2) If your budget and space permit, consider investing in a treadmill. The cost of a treadmill can be significant, but Blake and I were able to snag a pretty basic treadmill on a Black Friday deal this past November, and it’s been a complete game changer for our winter running. Don’t get me wrong, while we absolutely prefer outdoor running (I’ll take views of Lake Michigan over views of my unfolded laundry any day!), when living in the Midwest or Northeast, there will simply be some days when it’s just not reasonable or safe to run outside (Active blizzard? Wind chill of -30 F? I’m looking at you). The ability to put on a podcast and still get in our shorter weekday training runs despite very unfavorable weather saved our training several times this winter.
3) Find an indoor track. Have an 18-mile long run on the schedule with 8 inches of snow on the ground? We’ve been there! Yes, it’s possible to do 18 miles on the treadmill, but having done 12 treadmill miles during a previous week, we knew that we might lose our minds doing 18. Fortunately, we were able to find an indoor track, and that made all the difference! No, the scenery is not as interesting as running outside, but the ability to just be in a new environment (and not our basement) and run alongside other people made the indoor track experience infinitely better than the treadmill for a long run. Plus, while there is obviously no terrain variability on a track, track running does more closely simulate road running given the lack of a moving belt beneath your feet, so we thought it would provide a better training experience for our upcoming marathon.
Shout out to the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee for the awesome 400+ meter indoor track. 65 laps flew by! (sort of haha)