Winter Training Tips
It’s getting to be consistently chilly in the Chicago area—ok, it’s below 60 most of the time—and running in the dark and occasionally blustery conditions means that it’s time to start thinking about how to train through the winter. Running in frigid temperatures and winter weather can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be miserable as long as you’re well prepared mentally and logistically. Below I’ve gathered some tips and best practices that I’ve developed after running through some truly dreadful Chicago winters.
Dress as if the weather is about 15 degrees warmer than it actually is (including wind chill). The gist here is that once you get warmed up the air temperature feels warmer than it actually is, especially if you’re layered well. So running in 40 degree temps means you should dress like you’d be standing around at 55 degree temps (this is why 45 degrees is generally regarded as “perfect” racing weather). Your mileage may vary, but for me that means shorts, a running tee, and a lightweight hoodie as a second layer.
Sock choice matters. Generally speaking, shoes are designed to be breathable. That’s an asset in the summer, but a liability in the winter. To compensate, it’s often helpful to get thicker-weight socks or even winter-specific running socks to insulate your feet from the wind that will be coming through the top of the shoe.
When it’s showy or icy outside, choose shoes with great outsole coverage. It can be tempting to gravitate toward trail shoes are something similar to navigate slippery road conditions, but in reality you want to maximize ground contact. This is best done by grabbing a pair of daily trainers with good outsole coverage, because the deep lugs on trail shoes actually mean there’s less surface area to contact the ground if you have to run on ice or slippery snow.
Many brands make Gore-Tex/waterproof versions of their mainline daily trainers. These options will be a little better insulated, but most importantly will keep your feet dry if you need to run through ice-cold puddles and the like. Options here include the Hoka Clifton GTX, Saucony Triumph GTX, Brooks Ghost GTX, and Nike Pegasus GTX.
If you can, do your warm-up inside. When it’s seriously cold, the prospect of warming up outside can be daunting. To avoid skipping the warmup (and therefore taking longer to get comfortable on the run) or bailing on the run altogether, I find it’s best to do as much of your warmup as you can, full kitted out in your running gear, inside and then just hit the ground running when you get out the door. This has the added benefit of building up a bit of body heat inside before you’re exposed to the cold.
Hopefully these tips help you get out the door more often and in better spirits this winter!