Footing, Short Days, and Icy Roads

The lack of light, not the potential freezing of your lungs, is the biggest threat to your well-being when you run in the winter. Watch your footing. Try to run on level surfaces that you’re familiar with and choose the most well-lit routes. Be extra careful after snow or ice storms. Snow on the ground can often help your night vision, because it reflects what light there is. But under that snow may be patches of ice. Also, watch traffic even more than you usually do. Don’t assume that cars can see you or that, if they do, they can get out of the way quickly. Just as snow and ice can make you slip around during your runs, they also can cause cars to careen out of control. Fortunately, most good winter running apparel made these days has reflective features. If yours doesn’t, you can buy reflective strips and a reflective vest at most running stores. Almost all good running shoes have reflective elements built into their design. These elements are a must if you want to run safely in the dark.

The Freeze-Your-Lungs Myth

Except for the few hottest days of the year, most people aren’t going to question your sanity when you’re out running in July or August. But keep running through the winter, and eventually someone is going to ask you, “Aren’t you afraid that you’ll freeze your lungs?”
Even my dad used to ask me this when I started running in high school. I was taught to respect my elders, so I didn’t laugh in his face or anything, but this question is one of the silliest I’ve ever heard. Have you ever met someone who has frozen a lung? Of course not. As the air you breathe works its way into your lungs, it’s warmed more than enough to keep it from freezing anything.
I bet you have met someone who was in pretty good shape, but stopped working out when it got cold, and started the spring with more weight and less fitness. That’s a shame, and an unnecessary one, because winter running can be some of the best of the year. And I’m a New Englander, so it’s not like I’m sitting here espousing the joys of winter running from my house in Los Angeles.
I get a certain pride out of knowing that on those short, dark, cold days with plenty of windchill, when most people are always under shelter, I’ve been outside moving under my own power. I know that when people look out their windows and see me running down their street they think that I’m both miserable and insane. Those people don’t know that when I’m done with my run, I’ll enjoy being inside that much more. Running in the winter involves a bigger mental aspect to it than running during the rest of the year. I admit that after doing this for 30 years, I still sometimes have a tough time getting psyched to run when there’s only been eight hours of daylight for the last couple of months. You just need to keep focused on your goals. After awhile, you’ll learn how to get out the door and through those tough first few minutes until you start getting warmed up. I can usually do this by reminding myself how much better I’ll feel after my run. Also, ask yourself if you would be so ready to bag your run if it were sunny and 70 degrees.

Jogging in Winter

One of the main reasons that running in the winter can be so nice is because running in the summer can be so tough. With all the heat that you generate after a few minutes of running, you can be warmer running outside in 40-degree weather than inside your 68-degree home. So you stay warm enough to stay comfortable, but don’t get so hot that you get really dehydrated. The best of both worlds!
You can’t get away with running in just anything in the winter. Some necessary items of clothing will help you stay comfortable when it’s cold. The key is wearing the right gear for the right conditions, which usually involves layering.