Week #7; Getting outside for your cold-weather runs 

This week was a hard one to get outside! Last week’s warm weather spoiled us and reminded us how cold and awful spring marathon training can really be. Finding the motivation to work out in general during the winter months can be really hard. For anyone in health care, especially nurses and nurse practitioners who work shift work, some days we don’t see any sunlight. When we leave our houses it’s dark out and when leaving the hospital it’s dark. We are starting to crave those longer sunny days! This week we are focusing on staying motivated to get outside, staying warm, and learning to enjoy these chilly runs. 

Getting Outside! 

The easiest way for us to get outside is by setting a schedule. It’s cold… It’s February in Philadelphia what do we expect. Each week we both know what our schedule is going to be and we plan our track workout and long run. Once it’s on the calendar it helps us to stick to that schedule. HOWEVER, being realistic is also essential to not failing at this training. We work hard long hours ( what nurse/NP doesn’t) some days you may wake up after that long shift and it is just not happening, that’s fine!!! Or you show up to the track and it resembles an ice skating rink as we mentioned in one of our previous week’s blogs. The shorter runs are easy to do before Anna work’s a later shift or for Jess after her shift on the treadmill so planning the big workouts is the most beneficial to us. Another key to getting outside is having a buddy! Most times, we plan out a few weeks in advance when we are going to run together.  We will either have a run planned together or text each other prior to the run to get motivated.  Anna: “OMG I can’t believe I am about to run 16 miles in this wind and cold, I’m not sure I’m going to survive”.  Jess: “ YOU GOT THIS!!! text me when you are done”. This is one of a million texts we have back and forth keeping each other motivated. We approach our tough workouts just like we do our long shifts – we are in the trenches together and look out for one another during our shifts; same thing goes for our tough workouts. The best part of the run is the end when we get to tell each other we did it and we feel awesome. 

Cold Weather Gear Guide: 

-A general rule from the research we have done and our own experience is to dress for weather 15-20 degrees warmer than it really is outside. This means your first few miles are COLD! For people like us who are generally cold all the time, this is difficult.  And being totally honest we don’t always follow this rule. The downside to overdressing for a run is extra sweaty layers that make you even colder when the run is done. Runner’s world has a tool you can use to figure out what to wear when you’re running in extreme temps: https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20803133/what-to-wear/

-Let’s start by talking about why it’s so hard to run during the winter months. To start it’s freezing and dark out, not the most motivating environment. The colder weather makes your muscles tighter and it takes longer for you to get into your running groove. 

What we wear (that also isn’t breaking the bank):

Base layer: NO COTTON! Cotton absorbs moisture – doesn’t wick away – so it essentially makes you colder. REI always has great sales on non-cotton light base layers as does Amazon:

https://www.rei.com/product/154847/rei-co-op-lightweight-base-layer-long-sleeve-crew-top-womens

There are also nicer brands like Patagonia/Arc’teryx if you have some more money to spend (they also will last forever – Jess has her patagonia base layer that she’s used since 2012!):

https://www.arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/rho-lt-crew-neck-ls#search=1

Second layer: cozy and insulating – usually fleece that’s a half v. full zip (works for us: easy on and easy off) 

Outer layer: depending on the day, you can do a vest that’s a light but warm fit from the north face or a lightweight jacket like the one above. Again depending on what it’s like out. 

Rest of the body: face we both wear a buff and a warm beanie. Anna will wear her buff even when it’s not super cold out with a nice moisture-wicking long sleeve and vest. 

Hands: Jess wears mittens with hand warmers and Anna wears moisture-wicking gloves with hand warmers. See a theme… hand warmers are the key!!! If you get super cold hands when you run, these mittens are expensive but the way to go: 

https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/venta-mitten?

Bottoms: On our legs we usually both wear tights and high socks. Jess swears by Darn Tough wool socks – they last for a decade! 

https://www.rei.com/product/825041/darn-tough-hiker-micro-crew-cushion-socks-womens?sku=8250410018&store=37&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_8250410018%7C92700057782325777%7CNB%7C71700000074093097&gclid=CjwKCAiAgvKQBhBbEiwAaPQw3LxbD4_nuEIQzNJPab3bunZ09shdv886yx8lj9PchWiT6UBAmkNwwhoCs0wQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We recently purchased Amazon tights https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09C1VSDG1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   and they are amazing! They offer great support during a run, have a nice side pocket, and a zip back pocket for house keys, snacks, etc. 

Feet: running through the snow/ice can not only be dangerous but it can be very distracting during your run. Kahtoola nano spikes are great for road running through icy weather. They are smaller spikes that fit right over your shoe and when you are done running it’s an easy walk back to the car that doesn’t ruin your spikes. 

This week’s chilly runs entailed: 

~3 easy miles, 4 easy miles, 9 miles w/ intervals: 2 miles easy, 1×400 @ 1:40 pace, 1×800 @ 3:42 pace, 1×1 mile @ 7:30-7:40 pace, , 1×800 @ 3:42 pace, 1×1 mile @ 7:30-7:40 pace, 1-2 miles easy recovery, 0-3 easy miles, 4 easy miles, 16 miles LSD.