As cold weather is hitting everywhere else in the US (except, you know, Southern California), I asked a few Sweat Pink sisters to share their favorites, tricks and tips for beating the ice and still staying on top of their fitness game in the winter. They'll be featured here this week!
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Long-sleeved shirts and fleece-lined tights are important,
but I’ve learned (the hard way, in some cases), that it’s the little things
that make a difference when you’re running in the winter. A good cold gust of
wind here or a slippery spot there, and running becomes painful at best,
especially in below-freezing temperatures and on snowy days.
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| Christine rockin' that winter running look! |
Here are a few
things I can’t live without when I’m braving New England winters for an outdoor
run:
Neck gaiter: These nifty neck warmers are over in the ski
department of the sporting goods stores. As someone who had avoided skiing all
her life, I was delighted to discover these. They can sit around your neck or,
in really cold weather, pull up over your mouth and nose to warm your breath as
it enters your lungs.
Vaseline:
My running buddy advised me to slather Vaseline on my face and lips before
running outdoors in the winter. She was very, very right. In addition to not
breaking out from it, it’s kept my face warm and guarded against windburn. As a
bonus, Vaseline also comes in a cocoa butter scent (and I think a baby powder
scent, too), a far cry from the petroleum odor I remember from my childhood.
Hats/gloves/mittens: If you’re balking at wearing a hat, you
can totally take it off mid-run and stuff it in your waistband (as you can with
gloves), or you can get a headband that covers your ears instead. On super-cold
days, I’ve been known to wear gloves AND mittens, which makes manipulating my
Garmin and iPod difficult but keeps my hands toasty. I usually pick up
performance fleece hats and gloves at Old Navy on sale.
Bright jacket: I
have a lightweight, bright orange running jacket from New Balance that I wear
when I run on snowy days. Not everyone has their headlights on, and not
everyone is paying attention, and the more visible I am, the less likely I am
to get friendly with someone’s front bumper.
The Heads Up
The other small thing about winter running is that, even
though it’s beautiful, it can be dangerous. In the early winter, fallen leaves
can obscure patches of ice. Throughout the rest of winter, black ice is
definitely a concern, especially since not everyone is meticulous about
shoveling sidewalks.
Basically, if it’s a shiny spot, I give it a wide berth,
and I avoid running through patches of shade.
Also, I’ve tried running with metal treads on my shoes after
the snow is done falling, but I find them bone-jarring. I hate to admit it, but
I’ll end up heading to the treadmill on icy and slushy days.
Still, winter running can be beautiful, and it’s worth it to
get a few small pieces of gear and take a few precautions to get out and enjoy
it.
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Christine blogs about running, fitness, and healthy food at www.runoutofthebox.com. She trained for her first half marathon in the dead of winter in Massachusetts and owns more pairs of running tights (including fleece-lined) than she cares to admits. Find her at www.runoutofthebox.com, on Twitter @cparizo, or on Instagram @cparizo.
What are your winter running must-haves?
Layers, layers, layers.
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