Cold Weather Running

It's not easy to run in the winter in the northeast U.S, a fact I have managed to forget over the last five years.    You see, I've spent the last several years living in Madrid, Spain, and Shanghai, China, both more moderate climates than that of Dutchess County, New York.  In both of those cities, the coldest early morning in deep January or February might have been 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Centigrade).  It's only December 5th, and the mercury is already dipping that low and headed lower.   I'm unprepared, in so many ways.

For one thing, I need better clothes.  I went out for a 10-mile run this morning, starting pre-sunrise.  The temp was 23 degrees, so I figured I would put on my long-sleeve turtleneck technical shirt, a higher-visibility short-sleeve on top of that, my 'warmer' track pants, earband and gloves.  No problem, right?  Wrong.  The wind was doing it's best to cut through all of that, and I had left my face uncovered.  By the time I was done, I was glowing red with cold, and my hands were so stiff, it took three tries and both hands to turn my key in the ignition. 

The other big issue that I have to deal with will be road conditions.  I haven't seen a real snowfall in years, either, so the idea that the roads I run will be even narrower and more treacherous is a bit frightening.  The drivers here are pretty courteous, and there's not a lot of traffic, so most keep their distance from runners, but I can see that getting harder as the shoulders I run on disappear, and more ice covers the roads. 

Finally, darkness.  Sunrise is about 6:30 right now, and sunset is 4:30, so it's a given that I'm going to have to do a good bit of running in the dark.  Rural NY is not well-lit by street lights, so either I run the same 2-miles of road in my town over and over, run by moonlight, or I have to get some visibility aids.  I've tried a few headlamps, but they fall off my forehead a lot, so I must be doing something wrong.

But, I guess these are the "joys" of my sport.  I could avoid all of this by simply sticking to the treadmill for the winter.  Hmm...inside = warmth, light, no traffic, and my choice of movies that I can watch on my TV, but not a lot of change of scenery, or that variety of terrain that I actually like.  I think I'll save that for the days I really need it, when the ice is thick, the temps below zero, or for when there's a good Kevin Costner movie.

If you're out on the roads this winter; be safe.  Stay visible, watch the cars (and the road ice) carefully, and make sure you stay warm.  If you're the driver, and you see a runner in your lane, give them some room or slow down to pass them.  Honking scares the snot out of us, but a wave or a thumbs-up provides some oft-needed encouragement, so by all means, give one. Of course, an offer of some hot chocolate would help too....