Running in the cold and dark season

[yvi]

It's slowly starting to get really cold where I am - it's 5°C today and the sun sets before 5 pm at the moment. Winter is going to be here soon with temperatures well below the freezing point and the sun setting at around 4 pm.

Those of you with more experience with this, how do you keep going during the winter? What do you wear, when do you run, how do you stay motivated? Any tips and experiences are appreciated.

Comments

[ilanarama]

I shift my running from early morning to late morning to noon as the winter progresses. (For example, I just got back from my run now!) But I have a flexible schedule at work and can do this without trouble.

The key for me is to remember that I'm going to get warmer as I go, as thalia mentions. So I usually wear shorts and a short-sleeved tech top (never anything cotton) with gloves and a fleece headband even down to the freezing point, as long as it's sunny. If it's windy or cloudy (or snowing!) I will need long sleeves and legs. I'm always cold to start, but warm up.

As far as motivation goes, I usually don't have a problem because I enjoy running in the winter. I love looking at the snow-covered mountains, and the deer are more plentiful and hang out near the river on the path where I do most of my winter running. If the weather is bad, I tell myself I'll just run the short loop and if it's miserable I'll quit - but I usually feel just fine once I'm out there.

If you're really desperate for motivation, get the book "Ultramarathon Man" by Dean Karnazes, especially if you can get the audiobook version and listen to it while you're running. I remember listening to it last year while I was battling through unplowed snow - and it happened to be the chapter about running a marathon on Antarctica. Made me feel like I was in a tropical paradise, by comparison.