Winter Training thoughts

Winter came on strong here in southeast Idaho last week. But NO WORRIES! I got this figured out. Here are a few thoughts about winter training in the snow and cold.

1. How bad will it really be? 4 miles is 40 minutes at the most, so how cold can you get in 40 minutes when you're putting forth at least some effort? Nothing that five minutes in a hot shower can't fix.

2. Plan to stay out of the wind. Really, it's the wind that is the real culprit in the winter, not the cold. If you dress with layers and cover all the skin, the plain old cold doesn't really get you. It's the wind whipping around and THROUGH your jacket that gets you. So plan to run a route in some trees or at least not in the open areas that are getting blasted by the wind.

3. Get warmed up in the house. It's very difficult to leave a nice warm bed next to your next warm spouse to go out into the freezing cold. It's so easy just to snuggle up for another hour or two, and you'd get major cool points from your wife or hubby, right? To win this mental battle early in the morning when you're not even awake yet, plan at least 15-20 minutes of warmup time in the house to get your blood flowing and maybe a couple cups of coffee in you if that's how you roll. The key is to create a transitional period.

4. Enjoy the SUN! It might be cold, but the sun is shining on many afternoons. Get out there and play in the sun! Plan your runs for the middle of the day, and your gyms and swims in the dark times. Plenty of scientific studies say the sun is good for morale, and common sense says the same.

5. Cross Train! Break out the skis. Personally, I think a day in the backcountry hiking up big hills and then maintaining control on the way down is the hardest workout I do. Cross-country skiing is a great option, too. Don't worry so much about whether you cut a bike or a run to add skiing....the point is to break up the monotony of indoor training and GET OUTSIDE! The positive mental aspects of a break in the monotony will far surpass any issues with missing a bike or run that you do half-ass cuz you just aren't into it mentally.

6. Get organized. You've probably read all about how proper organization can help. That is doubly important in the winter because of the extra gear needed to stay warm. Multiple sets of gear help, too. Here are the setups I have, all with old gear that I had laying around and not really being used (ie I didn't spend a ton of money):
1. A warm top and bottom laid out next to the bed so I can get up easily and get going.
2. Bike trainer clothes. Also, I have a coffee pot with a timer downstairs by the bike trainer room. More than once the smell of the coffee already brewing has gotten me to get out of bed!
3. A set of shoes, pants, jacket, hat, gloves, and shorts/shirt for the one mile run to the gym after the bike trainer workout. They are staged by the bike trainer every day to make a quick transition from the bike to the gym for lifting weights (generally only a winter workout).
4. Set of shoes, pants, jacket, shorts, shirt, hat, and gloves staged at work for running at lunch. I keep it simple and use the same gear each day of the week, taking it home only on Fridays to wash it over the weekend. That might sound gross to some people, but it keeps me from forgetting anything more than one day.
It takes about five minutes each night to restage everything in the house and setup the coffee to start brewing five minutes before I should be getting to the coffee pot in the morning.

And what if you forget something? Go anyway! Today I forgot my socks, and I knew I'd be running through some snow and slush. Oh well, nothing a five minute hot shower won't be able to fix afterwards. And do you know what? They didn't even get cold in the 18 degree weather...just a little wet as if it was raining and 50 degrees.

Bottom line: there are only a few no-kidding good excuses for not training (running) outside in the winter; generally you can work around all the standard "but it's winter" excuses. For me, blizzard conditions, significant ice coverage on my running paths, or other unsafe conditions will keep me inside for a day or two at the most.