Cold Weather Running

 By Molly Derner

Running makes you weird.  Weird to family and friends, weird to people passing you on the street, weird to yourself.  It's ok. Once you are a "runner", you know it.  Because you are different.  You realize you have this thing, however you want to define it, that has become another priority in your life.  You find yourself creating space for this thing, at the expense of "free" time, work time, sometimes even family time.  You find yourself doing things that you never, ever thought you would do.  Like running in the dark, at the crack of dawn, in the rain, up HILLS.  And, in Missouri, running in the cold.

Meghan asked me to write about running through the winter.  She said something about thinking I was "hard core".  She couldn't be further from the truth.  I don't like to be cold.  At all.  My thermostat is set at 78, and I still have to have socks on. I pray for snow only on Saturdays so I can send my husband out to play with the kids while I huddle up inside with my coffee.  Also, I am a wimp.  I used to tell my husband, "I'm not a wuss-- I just HURT MORE than other people!".  His response: "No, you are a wuss".

So why do I run outside in the winter?  Because it's really not that bad.  There are three kinds of Missouri cold: cold, really cold and ass-cold.  Most of the time, we are just "cold".  Rarely do we actually get all the way to the dreaded "ass-cold" scenario.  I have run in all of these, and have never regretted going.  It doesn't always start that way, though. 

My usual winter routine is like this:  get dressed, stare at the thermometer, drop kids off at school, park the car somewhere... and stare at the thermometer.  It's too cold, I tell myself.  It's going to be awful.  I should just go home.  I wait, thinking maybe it will get one degree warmer.  I wait.  And wait.  Finally I drag myself out and hit the road.  I'm not going to lie-- when it's 4 degrees outside, you ARE going to be cold.  For the first mile, maybe two.  But then, if you have the right clothes on, you will be ok.  Some really good runs happen during the winter.  There can be advantages to not really feeling your legs!

Experiment with your clothes.  I found what works for me.  Cold (30-50)= long sleeves and capri tights.  Really Cold (10-30)= adding gloves and something to cover my ears, maybe a thicker long-sleeved shirt.  Ass-Cold (below 10)= all the above plus some kind of jacket and my old fleecy pants.  This year I am going to add sunglasses to shield my eyes from the wind.

Snow is ok if it's just snow.  I don't have Yak Tracks but will be getting some for this winter.  Watch out for the snow that has melted and re-frozen.  One deal-breaker: ice.  Don't do it.  If it's patchy and you can clearly see where it is, then slow down and take your chances, but beware that it really likes to hide on asphalt and sidewalks.  I alter my winter routes to avoid the highways if I think there is any chance of cars slipping around.  When it's icy, be safe.  Get on the treadmill and catch up on all that tv you've been missing out on.  It won't be long before you can get back out there.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing you will need for winter running:  download "Training Montage" from the Rocky IV soundtrack.  Don't even consider running without it.  So get out there.  Be weird.  Wave your freak flag proudly.  And when people say, "You went out running in THIS weather?", you can say "yes".  And they will think you are hard-core.  And maybe you ARE.

Molly Derner is a member of Daily Run Club.  When she is not working or chauffeuring kids, she is running the streets of Washington, MO.