Adjusting your
Training in the Winter
It’s 15° and snowing outside.
Your training program calls
for a tempo run. What should you do? It may be time to change your
workout. No single
workout is going to make or break your season. That’s not really true.
One day
can break your season, or seriously set you back.
Speed Kills
It’s hard to sprint when it’s cold.
Even if the roads are
dry, your muscles don’t work as well when they’re cold. It’s harder to
get the
muscles loose and pliable enough to efficiently handle the explosive
muscle
contractions and extensions required for higher speeds.
Instead of doing an interval or tempo workout when it's cold, run easy,
or skip working out that day, and more your speed workout to a warmer
day.
Unless you are training for an early
spring race, you don’t
absolutely need to speed work all the time now. Even if you do have a
big race
soon, it’s smart to put it off for a couple of days until the weather
improves, or even skip a week, rather than risk injury. If you insist
on
running hard, warm up extremely well, work your way gradually up to
high speed
(no sudden accelerations), and stay warm between hard sets.
Sure there are winter sports that do
have sprinting - like
cross-country skiing and speed skating – but those sports have to be
done in
the cold. They would be able to sprint better in warm weather (except
for snow
& ice conditions). In relays, they continue to skate or ski, or
even ride
stationary bikes, between hand-offs.
Go Long
While it’s easier to go long, at
least run easy, when it’s
cold, than it is to go hard, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s
always
easy, or that you should. As long as you can keep yourself warm (and
the
footing isn’t too bad), you can stay out there a long time. I’ve been
out in
single digits for 10 hours at a winter adventure race. If your legs get
cold
and start to tighten up, if your hands and feet get cold, and certainly
if they
become numb, certainly if you start shivering, then consider cutting
your
workout short.
If you can anticipate the weather, work around the weather. For
example, if you have a
long run scheduled for Sunday but a big storm or severe cold is
forecast to
move in on Saturday night, then consider doing your long run on
Saturday
instead, ahead of the storm.
Against the Elements
Beyond the standard cold weather
clothing advice (e.g.,
wicking layers to keep moisture away from your skin), I wear mittens
instead of
gloves (I tend to get cold hands even in the 40s & 50s). I like
zippered
shirts and jackets to regulate temperature, and to help keep from
getting too
sweaty (leading to chills).
When it’s really cold, I’ll wear
neoprene socks, over a thin
sock or sock liner, to keep my feet warm (there are a number of
different
brands that you can find at most outdoor retailers and some running
stores). I’ll
cover the area around my mouth with Vaseline; it’s hard to breathe when
my chin
gets numb. Sometimes I’ll wear a bandana over my mouth. This warms the
air
before it hits my throat and lungs.
Don’t forget to drink. We often
think of hydration as just a
hot weather issue. However, when you’re bundled up against the cold,
your body
is still warm and generating a lot of heat, and you’re losing sweat.
Also, the
air outside is much drier when it’s cold, and it sucks moisture from
you. That
steam you see when you exhale, that’s moisture from inside your lungs
condensing when it hits the cold.
Take it Inside
I know. You hate the gym. I do too.
However, sometimes
working out inside is the smart thing. There are ways to keep it
interesting,
and a variety of different equipment, not just treadmills, can be good
for
running. See this companion article for more on training inside.
Training plans aren't written in stone. No single workout is going to make
your season, but it could
break it.
Be smart. Train smart.
Adam
