When you are living in Utah, it’s pretty much known that you can’t depend on the weather. One day can have rain, sun, wind and snow in a matter of 10 minutes. But when you are trying to train for a race and you don’t know what the weather will be, what do you do? Thankfully I have been able to find some information that I figured I would share with you.
There is nothing I hate more than being cold. And running to the mix and you have yourself a complete nightmare. Thankfully, you won’t need as much as you think you will when it comes to cold-weather running. Here is a great rule to run by:
45 degrees or more – Shorts with short sleeve t-shirt
45 to 32 degrees – shorts with long sleeve shirt
Below freezing – long thermals, shorts and jacket with gloves (running beanie, optional)
When you run outside, you really feel the burn—and I am not talking about your muscles. Nothing I hate more than running outside in the cold and my lungs just burn. There is nothing worse than only being able to inhale half a breath out of fear of my lungs exploding. Don’t worry, this too shall pass. It just takes a couple of runs to get your respiratory system adept to dealing with frosty air.
During the summer months, of course you need more water. But don’t think that just because it is cold you don’t need to hydrate. Ice cold water might be the last thing you want when the temps are low, but just be sure not to skip the water completely. Be smart and be healthy. I am a fan of running with room temperature water so it’s not too cold, not too hat, but it’s just right.
Another advantage of running outside in the cold is that you burn more calories. Your body works harder to maintain a healthy body temperature when it’s very cold outside. When it’s cold, you start shivering because muscle movement helps heat up the body.
But if the cold outdoor running doesn’t seem like a great idea for you, treadmill training is a good alternative. I try to just get my body doing aerobic exercise daily to lose weight and keep myself running. It wasn’t easy to get back up to a three mile run and I don’t want to lose that again. If I am only going to run on a treadmill I think I will be fine.
Plus, I want to stay motivated for the full marathon that I am going to try to get in more races: a triathlon, 2-3 half marathons and Ragnar. I think that 2017 is going to be the year that I get back into the shape that I need to be and back at a healthy lifestyle. Let me know what half marathon’s you have done that you absolutely love. It’s time to try some new races.
