Winter Running Tips

The key to being comfortable on your run in the colder temperatures is being, just like a boyscout (or girlscout), prepared.  If you have the correct gear on, running outside in the winter can be enjoyable (as I have explained in my last blog post, Winter...When I am Free to Just Run).

So what exactly does one need in order to be prepared for running outdoors in bitter temperatures?  Well, it all depends on the actual temperatures, plus the wind chill.  But no matter what the temperature is outside, you simply must use technical clothing that is made of fabric that wicks the sweat away from your body.  You do not want the sweat to sit against your skin at any time when you are running, but especially in the winter.  Cotton is a big no-no for runners.  It holds the sweat against your body, which can cause all sorts of problems for you...chafing is one of them.  In the winter, we worry more about hypothermia.  So, invest in some technical running clothing and you won't be sorry, whether you use it at the gym during the winter or outside.

So, the number one thing you need for winter running, is some kind of technical clothing.  Beyond that basic tip, the actual temp outside will determine what you will need in order to stay comfortable.  One of the best things you can do in the winter is layer your clothing.  The colder it is, obviously the more layers you need.  But layering is important, because when you first start your run, your body is going to feel very cold.  But, as you run and your body heats up, you will not need as much clothing on, so you can shed a layer and either carry it with you (wrapping it around your waist) or leave it and remember to come back and grab it after your run (hopefully). 

Some runners that are used to what their bodies need for each temperature range might go outside with only what they will need once their body is warmed up.  Other runners like to be warmer to begin with and shed a layer as they go.  It is up to you, but if you are a beginning runner, I recommend using the layers approach, since your goal is to convince yourself that you can do it...no matter what the temp is.

Here is a rundown of how I usually dress for running outside in the winter.

If the temps are in the lower 40s to upper 30s, I like to wear just a long-sleeved top, a pair of shorts, and a light pair of pants over the shorts.  Wearing the shorts under the pants is a personal preference.  I do not own any technical underwear, so I would feel uncomfortable wearing the pants without the shorts that have the built-in underwear.  You may wish to wear a light pair of gloves and something to cover your ears if it is in the lower 40s to upper 30s.  I find that my body gets hot pretty quickly and I do not like the feeling of the gloves on my hands at that point, so I just grin and bear it for the first mile or so.  As far as the gloves go, you can really just wear a pair of those $.99 gloves that you can get at Wal-Mart or somewhere like that.  They will do the trick at this temp range.  At this temp range, I do not wear a winter running hat, but you may wish to.  I might wear a technical baseball cap, though.  For my feet, I just use my regular running socks (again, they are made of a technical fabric...no cotton!!).  Cotton on your feet will cause blisters...so don't do it!!!

When the temps are in the mid to lower 30s, I will usually wear my shorts, a heavier pair of pants, a long-sleeved top, and a light running coat (right now I wear my Brooks Nightlife Jacket).  I like to wear my running hat, as well, at this temperature range...especially in the lower 30s.  If it is in the 30s, I definitely wear my mittens.  Since my hands are always so cold, I have found that mittens work best for me.  I have to have my fingers all touching each other or else my hands cannot keep warm.  On my feet, I start wearing my heavier Balega winter running socks.  They are warmer than my other socks, for sure.  In this temperature range, I also try not to stop for long if I am running with a group of people.

In the 20 degree range, I wear my shorts and heavier pants.  On top, I do one of two combinations.  I will either wear a long-sleeved top and my winter running jacket, or I will wear a long-sleeved top, a fleece jacket, and my Brooks Nightlife Jacket.  I also wear my hat, my mittens, and my heavyweight winter running socks.  At this temperature range, I also put Aquaphor on my lips to prevent chapping.

When it is below 20 degrees, I typically wear a face mask.  I have one that goes up over your head, so there is a hat, too.  But I also throw another hat on top of that.  Below 20 degrees is also a good time to protect the little bit of skin left that is exposed to the elements.  I like to use my Aquaphor here.  At this temperature range, as gross as it seems and feels, I put it not just on my lips, but above my lips, around my nose, and on my cheeks.  It acts as a barrier for your skin from the elements.  I find it to be particularly important around my nose, as I tend to have leakage there when I run in colder temps. 

For any temp below 20 degrees, I typically add a second layer under my heavy fleece running pants, usually another pair of lightweight running pants or my Hot Chillys base layer tights.  At this point, I do not put shorts on as well.  I then put on one of the two previously discussed top layer scenarios from the 20 degree range.  If the temps are in the single digits, I might add an extra long-sleeved shirt or wear my heavy ski jacket over two long-sleeved shirts.  At this temperature range, I figure that it doesn't matter what I look like...at least I am out there doing it.  And at this range, it also doesn't matter how fast or slow I run, so if my ski jacket slows me down, so be it.  On my feet, I have doubled-up on my socks...wearing a lightweight pair under my heavyweight pair.  It worked fine for me, but you do have to be careful about blisters with doubling the socks.

For the record, if the temps are in the single digits, I do not prefer to be outside.  I will go out for a group run in this cold, but if it is a midweek solo run, I will usually resort to my dreadmill. Yes, even I can be a winter wimp!  ;)

You should know that I do not use running tights, so I cannot comment on them at this point.  The pants I run in are all made by Under Armour.  My heavyweight ones are made of fleece...one pair of which has an outer layer made of a thicker, more densely woven fabric on top of the fleece.

Lastly, I always use my BodyGlide, even in the winter.  If you are not familiar with this product, it is a solid skin protectant that you put on your body, wherever you need to, in order to prevent chafing.  It is kind of like a deoderant and vaseline all rolled into one product.  You can get it at sporting goods stores.
If you haven't ventured outside to run in the winter just yet, I hope you give it a try.  And perhaps some of my tips will help you make it more enjoyable for yourself!  Just remember that if you are prepared, you, too, can enjoy running in the winter!

Feel free to leave any questions you may have for me in the comments section below.

Sanity Breaks

Both today and yesterday I ran 4 miles on the treadmill.  I am gaining my confidence back and feeling more like my old self, just a whole heap slower.  My joints are still achy and I also noticed that my C-section area has been bothering me.  I wonder how long that will last.  This is definitely a long, slow challenge to come back to running, but I am finally feeling like my current goals are achievable and I am even considering what races to sign up for this year.  I am nervous about committing to something yet, though, because I have only just begun to run consistently.  I am one of those people who likes to have a goal to focus on to keep the momentum going.  It gives me a purpose for this "torture" I put my body through.  wink wink

Waiting for the boys to both take a nap at the same time so that I can run, though, can get frustrating.  They are still sick and we went back to the pediatrician again today.  He wants to try a different medication for them.  But with them being sick and irritable, they haven't really been on the same schedule much in the past few days.  It can be overwhelming listening to both of them cry all day long, so I really cherish my running time even more right now.  And I rely on their nap times for my running "sanity breaks".  For me, this is anxiety-producing, though, when they just aren't napping well.  Luckily, I got my sanity breaks 2 days in a row!!  Wooohoooo!!!

Making Progress

Well, I never did do any weight lifting on Monday.  It was a very busy day with my sick boys.  I started to really worry about them and ended up scheduling an appointment with the pediatrician.  The appointment was yesterday and I had to go solo...uuugh!  It is quite a challenge to bring the twins to the doctor's by myself while they are so little, but we always do manage somehow!  In any case, I loaded the boys up into the car and made it there just in time. 

The doc checked them both over very thoroughly and decided that Chub-Chub would be fine with a little bit of an antibiotic.  He figured the illness had gone on too long and wanted to see if we could clear it up.  Miracle Man sounded way more congested to him, though and he couldn't tell if his lungs were a little rattly or not.  So, he sent us off to the hospital for an x-ray of Miracle Man's lungs--just.in.case. 

Luckily, his lungs looked clear and we were sent on our merry way to go pick up the prescriptions for both boys.  The doc had already called in all the scripts to the pharmacy for me so that I wouldn't have to wait around with the two sick babies.  Unfortunately and fortunately, (and I had not realized this) the boys hadn't had a prescription filled yet at our pharmacy.  When I got there, they needed all of the boys' information to process and had obviously not yet filled the prescriptions for me.  Oh man!  I ended up waiting for nearly 45 minutes.

By the time I finally made it home, it had been at least a 4 hour extravaganza and I was exhausted!  I also think I might be coming down with a touch of something and boy, I was wiped out.  At that point, I just gave up on the idea of running or working out for the day. 

So later on, when Prince Charming got home and asked me if I was going to go for a run, I was like, Are You Kidding Me?  I started whining about how I don't feel well and how tired I was and how I had to make dinner and all sorts of excuses.  Prince Charming offered to make the dinner and then he kept telling me I should just go do it.  And I continued to whine.  But the more he pressed me, and the more I thought about it, I finally figured I could at least go down in the basement and walk a mile or so on the treadmill...just do...something. 

Little Miss wanted to come downstairs with me and I figured it would be good for her to get on the treadmill for a walk, too.  And besides, it never hurts for her to see her momma exercising, being a good role model.  Well, within minutes of getting down there and getting all set, I actually started to feel more energized. 

Little Miss went on the treadmill first, while I lifted some of my free weights and did a bit of jump rope...and by a bit, I really mean just one minute.  I definitely could've done more, but I didn't want to get too tired before I made it onto the treadmill.  And on top of that, I wasn't sure how sore my calves would be today if I did more.  And since today is my birthday, I definitely didn't want to be all out of sorts and achy.

When my darling daughter was finished with her turn on the treadmill, I jumped on, ready to go!  I was revved up!  I got on and did 4 miles!  Wooohoooo!  And the best part is that I saw progress in my running...and I felt like it was HUGE progress!  I wasn't huffing and puffing as badly during the first two miles.  And I definitely didn't want to quit by mile 3.  In fact, I felt so great that I actually increased my speed!!  By the time I was finished, I was very proud of myself.  I ran 4 miles, faster than I had on Sunday!  Yipppeeeeee! 

Today, my joints are a bit sore and achy, but I feel like I could run at least 2 or 3 miles.  I'd like to run soon and shower soon so that I am ready for my birthday festivities by the early afternoon and I am trying to work in the run on the treadmill around the boys' napping schedule.  But so far, they just don't want to nap at the same time today...for now, I guess I will just do the laundry...and wait. 

Starting All Over Again

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I ran throughout the whole pregnancy until I was told to stop.  With the twins, though, my doctor told me that I wasn't allowed to do any activity at all, other than walking.  So, the Goofy Challenge in Disney last January, was really the only running I did in 2011, with the exception of the few miles I did in December to try to start running again. 

Recovering from the deliveries (both kinds, of course), especially the emergency C-Section, took a long time.  In fact, I still feel like I am recovering.  Besides that, the weight of the babies put a lot of stress on my body, for sure. 

It has taken a long time to get to the point where I have felt that my body was ready to run again.  In fact, it was at least 6 weeks before I even went for a real walk.  And, realistically, I do not have a ton of extra time on my hands with the twins, Little Miss, two cats, keeping up our home, and all of the doctor's appointments, as well as the hospital visits and surgery over the past few months. 

In any case, I am a runner.  And running is my passion.  It is my exercise.  It is my escape.  It's when I think and process.  It is my fun.  It is also how I can manage to stay sane, so now that we have the twins, more than ever, I need it.  And I miss being part of my Team. 

So, I have begun running again.  But.it.is.Hard.  It is always hard to start back up after a long absence, but after this whole past year of no running or exercise, it is really Hard. 

Last week, I finally managed to push through 3 miles a few times.  It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't quick.  But I did it.  So, this past Sunday, Prince Charming finally set up my treadmill for me in our new basement. I am hoping that I will be able to run regularly, even if it is just for a few miles, while the boys take their naps (assuming they nap at the same time). 

My goal is to try to be up to 5 miles by the end of January so that I can return to my beloved Team.  We meet only one day a week, so I think this is a realistic goal.  And besides, it will be my guaranteed, few hours per week for Me.  Of course, it means losing out on a few extra hours of sleep (and, no, the boys are not yet sleeping through the night).  But I am willing to sacrifice a few hours of sleep to get back to where I belong.

I was fortunate enough to be able to run on Tuesday of this week,  but the boys only gave me time to accomplish 2 miles in the morning.  Then, they granted me another 2 miles a few hours later.  But with them being sick, they are my priority, so the past two days I wasn't able to run at all, but today...

Today, I ran 3 miles.  I had all I could do to complete those three miles!  Not having been able to run much in the past week made it soooooo incredibly challenging!  But I repeated my mantra of the day, "Don't give up.  Don't give up.  Don't give up," in my head over and over.  That was how I got through the pain.  Well, that and a little music! 

After the 3 miles, I got off the treadmill.  I was very frustrated that it was so incredibly hard to run those three miles, so after a short rest period, I went back on for one mile of sprint work.  I am determined to get up to those 5 miles by the end of the month!