How I Have Been Surviving the Cold and Snow (Friday Five Edition)

This winter has been unusually cold for us here in Virginia.  So much so that I just don't understand how people live further north where it's like this for 3-5 months strait.  While we do get part of those arctic freezes that come down from Canada, they usually only last a couple of days.  Our normal high for right now is in the low 40's and we probably hit or exceeded that only 5-6 times this month.  My new thermostat will tell me when my auxiliary heat runs for more then 6 hours and my system kicks on the auxiliary heat when it's below 20 degrees outside.  I've had to hit OK to that message every day but 2 this month.  We have also had a few snow storms this year.  None of them more then a few inches, but we don't have the amount of plows cities up north do, so our roads are usually a mess for a few days.  These are the challenges I have when I'm in a training cycle during the winter months and how I combat them.



1.  Not signing up for any race that happens between December and March.  But that's not the best option, especially if running a race in the warmer part of the country.

2.  This is the time of year when cross training is important.  Sometimes I end up cross training a little bit more and run a little less when it comes to the winter months.  This lets you keep up your cardio even if you are not running.  And a great cross training idea is water jogging.  I've done it while I was hurt and was able to keep up my training.  But I have to say it is so very boring and very hard to jump into a pull when it is this cold outside.

3.  The dreaded treadmill.  I don't mind using the treadmill once in awhile, it just seems to be an inconvenience.  Every winter I think I should just chalk up the money and buy one for the house, but I can't see spending all that money for something I would only use a few times a year.  I have a gym membership, where they have plenty of treadmills to use.  But I don't even like to drive someplace to run outside, so to have to drive someplace to run on a treadmill is so unappealing.  This season I've only headed to the gym when there was snow and ice on the road.  I've actually ventured out when it dropped below freezing.



4. Layers, Layers, Layers.  When I do laundry, I usually do one load that is just my workout clothes.  This past time I did laundry, I had so many pieces of workout clothes, I had to do two loads because I wore so many layers.  I've been looking into finding a fleece lined pair of pants, but haven't found one that fits me well.  I'm sure the moment I find a pair I like, it won't be cold enough to wear them.  I guess I should find a pair soon.  It's still a balance of wearing enough cloths and not too many when  going out when it's below 20 degrees.  And also not ending up like the kid from A Christmas Story who couldn't put his arms down when his mom dressed him to go to school.  Though I don't think I could have put on enough clothes to keep me warm on my 10 degree run.

5.  This year has been the first year that I have done more then one run a season in temps below 20 (don't laugh at me northerns!) as I usually op for the treadmill.  But this year I found that I'd rather deal with the cold then go to the gym to use the treadmill.  My biggest issue with running in temperatures below freezing is that I can't breath.  Even if I'm not out there running, the moment I step outside in freezing temperatures I start coughing.  Then I come inside and I start coughing.  My lungs just can't deal with it.  So while digging for running hats and gloves I came across this running buff that I got with a Runner Box.  I've never used it before so I thought I'd give it a try to help keep my face warm.  Well I have to say that it worked.  Though it did get hard to breath with it over my mouth after it started to get wet due to the moisture in my breath.  But it was much better then not having something.

I started looking for something that was made to go over your face and be able to handle the moisture of my breath.  I found one on Amazon that was fleece lined and bought it.  I used it for the first time when it was in the mid 20's and it worked great.  I didn't get the breathing issues at all.  Though with it being fleece lined, it was actually a bit warm, even at 25 degrees.  And the problem with this design is that if I took it off, I wouldn't have anything on my head and it was way too cold to not have something on my ears.  It was only a 3 mile run, so I survived with my head being hot.  I'll have to look for something that's not fleece lined and/or able to separate to hat and face mask.

How have you stayed warm on your outdoor runs?  Any other tips to help out a winter training cycle?  What conditions will get you on the treadmill?  

I'm linking up with Fairytales and Fitness and Running on Happy for Friday Five 2.0