Mailbag Friday! (Winter Running)

FM asks

sup nads. question, do you run in these cold and dark months? what do you do?
any advice? I'd like to continue as I am working towards the 10k mark now. I've passed the 5k mark but I know if i stop for the winter months its going to put me back considerably. i was just wondering what you do.

10k! Thats awesome, man! I would definitely not stop during the winter. Yes it will set you back if you quit running during the winter. But, some people say that some time off has it's benefits.

Do you have access to a gym? You could run on a treadmill (the picture to the right depicts how cool you'd look) when the weather is just way too cold. I use a treadmill because "senior management" says no running outside in the cold weather.

The treadmill is sometimes referred to by runners as the "dreadmill" because treadmill running can be boring. I personally like it because
1) you can really track your progress;

2) it's easier on your legs (make sure you set the incline to 1.0 to make it better on your joints); and

3) you can watch interesting programs if there's a TV screen in front of you. The one pitfall is that there's also a lot of lascivious junk on TV that you've got to scroll through. Besides one of the guys from the youth group works at the gym I belong to and I'm always a bit paranoid that he is going to walk by at the very second that Christina Aguilera ("Ain't No Other Man!") video is on the screen...but I digress!

If you can't join a gym, I'd think about getting the right gear for winter running, which usually includes a basal layer (super-tight stuff; Target has good deals) and then another layer on top of that. Use your judgment, though, because some days are just too cold!