Running through the winter is tough and we all look for ways to make it a little more enjoyable. This feeling of dread about winter can be found by the amount of articles that exist when googling “winter running tips”. While many of the top hits seem great, there are far less first hand practical examples of how to really thrive in winter training. Tips like layering up makes a difference no doubt. But is that a tip that’s really going to help us be ready to race?

That’s why I wanted to share the lessons I’ve learned on running in the winter in the midwest and the way I made the most out of my time as I trained through “Polar Vortex" of 2014 running up to 110 miles a week culminating in two national titles in 2014.

In January 2014 I was living in the Chicago Suburbs when #Chibera trended on Twitter. (A mash-up of Chicago and Siberia). #Chibera was used to describe the unbelievably cold air that came from the poles to smash record temperatures in a large part of the United States, which went for months on end, recording temperatures as low as -35 Degrees.

So while that winter was once in a lifetime experience of cold winds, snowfall, and overall miserableness, the lessons I learned that winter have made my workouts in the future winters to come that much more effective.

So, how do you make your winter running the most effective?

Find the place in town that reliably salts the roads fast

A majority of normal routes are not runnable after a snow or ice storm. The trails are beautiful but often they are covered in snow. The sidewalks are rarely shoveled and many safer neighborhood roads to run are left unsalted leading to a thin layer of black ice. But alas there is hope to all this slipping and sliding. Somehow invariable it seems that every town has a neighborhood that takes really good care of the roads and gets to it fast. In 2014 I had several neigborhoods that I could count on after a fresh snow. I would drive or gingerly run over to these places to find some firm snow free footing. This allowed me to get in the quality sessions I needed rather than focusing on staying upright.

My Achilles and fitness thanked me for the ability to get in quality runs regularly.

Be creative in route planning

A breeze in the summer feels refreshing but a breeze in the winter feels piercing. Figuring out ways to best use a tailwind and then have protection as you come back make the run so much more enjoyable and overall faster. Running fast is already hard enough in the winter don’t make it harder by running into a freezing wind that’s completely exposed when other options exist. it’s mentally taxing to try and fight the wind which effects workout performance.

I had a loop where I would run straight out with a tailwind but then snake my way back to the start (or vice versa) using alleys and neighborhood trees to protect against the worst of the windchill.

But being creative isn’t just about avoiding the wind. It’s about rethinking what is runnable! On the worst days I ran to a local parking garage. It was repetitive and hilly but I had firm footing where I didn’t have to worry about where my next step was going to be. I also had several 2 hour long runs around a small indoor track, which exist in many gyms. There are more options out there if you can get creative.

Adjust Your Expectations

No, it’s not you’re fault at all on why you can’t hit the paces on a workout when its below freezing - it’s the physiology of being cold (even when you don’t feel cold). Paces are going to be slower overall as the muscles struggle to stay warm. Running in the winter is typically slower but even with the watch saying you’re running slower the benefits are the same. It’s easy to say but harder to embrace when the slower splits come up - but it’s the reality. Log off Strava if you can do it or just keep your watch on timer mode. Do anything that will help you focus more on effort and less on pace.

Don’t try to fight it or push harder to hit the splits, get out of the day what you can and keep moving forward.

Find a routine that gets you out the door

Going for a run is (almost) always better than no run.

Studies have shown that a successful healthy habit comes from not sheer willpower but rather from creating a routine and finding a way to hold accountable to where it becomes second nature. Those runners who wake up at the crack of dawn everyday and go for a run aren’t mentally tougher than us, they’ve built themselves a routine to where it has almost become second nature to them.

The goal is to find something that makes getting out the door on those early cold mornings less of a chore that might get pushed off and more of something to look forward to. It could be meeting someone for a run, as a running buddy is an accountability buddy. Or it could be a time of day that you schedule where the only goal is to get some type of workout in.

Many runners who reach out to us are looking for accountability. We have had lots of clients tell us that having our training plans and having a coach check in with them has helped make sure that they’re staying on schedule and that they would have likely gone off schedule if it wasn’t for that.

Running effectively through the winter is more than warming up before a run or layering up. It’s about finding conditions that are conducive to help us train at our best.

Slipping around on the first day of snow can be fun. But putting ourselves in a position to succeed is the most important part of any running season. That’s done through finding good firm footing, being creative about our routes, knowing that paces might be slower, and finding a routine that we can stick to. These tips on how to run effectively through the winter will help make sure you’re ready for when the ice thaws and races come back! No matter how hard getting out the door for a run is I can promise you that it’s always worth it.