There are days when it’s cold, like today at minus 4°C (25°F), when you just want to stay in bed and forgo the long run.
But that’s not what serious athletes do. So I got up, got dressed and hit the pavement. Time to hustle!
I normally do my long runs on a Saturday morning with the team from House of Running, however due to travel requirements this week, I needed to change my program. When your plans change, it’s so important that you still prioritise your running. If you don’t, then you put your running goals in jeopardy.
In order to survive the freezing temperatures, you must dress appropriately. For me, that means my Nike Dri-Fit gloves and beanie, Skins full length compression tights and an Under Armour compression shirt. That’s just my base layer. Then I wear my normal running gear over the top of that.
Halfway through my run this morning I decided to capture a photo of the snow lined path ahead. One problem. My gloves won’t unlock my iPhone and there was no way I was taking my glove off. The solution… use my nose. Yes, that’s right, I used my nose to unlock my phone so I could get the shot.
Often in really cold weather runners decide they don’t need to take water with them on their long runs. However this is a big mistake! Even when the temperature outside is cold, your core temperature is still heating up and you continue to become dehydrated. The more long runs you do, the more you know when to drink. For example on my long runs I generally drink every 5-6km (3.5mi). So in cooler weather I will continue to consume liquid at the same frequency during my run.
The last advice I can give is to watch out for ice on the pavement. I do a lot of my running through parks and along dirt trails, which are particularly notorious for frozen puddles of water in winter. Keep scanning the road ahead and be agile. I also tend to shorten my stride as I cross any icy patches so that I keep my centre of gravity and balance more stable.