A lot of runners are guilty of letting the weather dictate their running schedules. Of all excuses to break a very successful running program the weather has to top among them. If you've been running for a while you sure will be able to relate to this.
Cold weather can be among the most de-motivating factors that some runners face. Have you ever thought how your running program could be much more successful if you could force yourself to run through cold weather? Read on to find out!
Warm Up
Warming up indoors before actually going out and facing the cold is a great way to make you more immune to the cold. Some experience runners are able to run in temperatures of tens below zero by warming up comprehensively in heated indoor locations.
TO do this you can stretch and sprint for short distances. You can also do a little calisthenics or anything to make you break into a sweat. This can do wonders for your resistance to the cold. This is so effective that you'll feel at least 10 degrees warmer.
Use Appropriate Clothes
It is hard to believe that some runners insist on wearing skimpier gear whatever the temperatures are outside. This is especially true with more experienced runners who have fallen in love with a certain type of running apparel that they could not imagine running in anything else.
Every now and then I see some hardened runners tough it up and run with sleeveless shirts and racing shorts in close to zero temperatures. This may work for you but remember that repeated exposure to the cold is not exactly healthy. Be careful of your body and run with sufficiently insulated jogging pants and thicker sweat shirts.
Use Support Accessories
We have fellow runners who are faced with winters so extreme that they may as well be in Antarctica. Yet they still run! Talk about motivation! You will notice that many of them wear bean caps, ear warmers and gloves. We all hate stuff weighing us down when running but these accessories will make running in cold safer.
Change Quickly
A secret that many cold weather runners attest to is to change immediately after your running sessions. Do not wait for your sweat to dry down or for your body to stop sweating. If you have to, bring two sets of clothiers. The first set right after your run and the second one you wear right after the first set absorbs most of your swear or starts to feel itchy.
Don't Imagine the Cold
As with everything else in the world, plodding through iced roads and resisting the frosty wind is a matter dealt within your mind. Never stop and think about how cold it is and just focus on your goals. Thinking about your goals miles for the week or anything to keep you motivated during those first few meters is the best way for you to beat the cold.
If you have the extraordinary ability to make yourself feel stuff you think about then it is a great advantage. Some people suggest to practice feeling warm during cold runs. Sooner or later the temperatures will not matter anymore.
Cold weather and even ice need not ruin your running program. All runners have faced this dilemma and few consistently are able to tough it out and just do it. Use the tips mentioned above to help you slowly but surely stop making excuses about running outside when it's cold.
