IT GOES LIKE THIS: YOU
PROMISE TO POUND THE
PAVEMENT ALL WINTER LONG,
but when faced with months of rain, hail
and little-to-no shine, finding the will to
lace up your kicks seems harder than
saying no to a free box of doughnuts.
With shorter days, colder temps and
cosy indoor heating, facing the outdoor
elements can feel like mission impossible- but it doesn’t have to. According to
running coach Sam Murphy, all you
need to keep on top of your running
game is some extra motivation.
“US research has shown that a financial
incentive can inspire you to stick to an
exercise routine, so try putting a gold
coin in a jar every time you manage to
get out for a run or reward yourself with
a running-related purchase,” she explains.
As well as material rewards, Murphy
says that having a running buddy or group
can give your enthusiasm a leg up. “Arrange
the meeting time and place in advance and
you’ll feel obliged to show up.”
Of course, there might be days when
hail storms and blizzard-worthy winds
make running a no-go activity, so Murphy
says to stay inside and work on your
strength, core and mobility to prep your
bod for race day. On days when all you’ve
got to deal with is a slight drizzle, though,
there are a few things you can try to make
your sesh more bearable, so read on for
the expert hacks to winterise your run.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
Let’s start with your outfit:
What should you wear when
you want to keep warm but don’t want to
overheat halfway through your sprints?
Go for layers, says personal trainer Svava
Sigbertsdottir. “Dress like it’s 10 degrees
warmer by investing in thin pieces that can
be worn over one another and look for
thermal and breathable fabrics,” she tips.
Since cotton can leave you sweaty
and cold, it’s best to stay away from it,
but clothing with ventilation panels (think
zippers near the neck or mesh panels
around the underarm area) will prevent
you from heating up. Gloves, a hat,
a waterproof jacket and a neck warmer
will enable you to tackle most weather
conditions, and, Sigbertsdottir notes,
it’s worth investing in some thin woollen
socks to keep your feet warm.
Speaking of your tootsies, Murphy
says a pair of off-road running shoes with
extra-grippy soles and robust uppers will
make you feel more sure-footed on muddy
and waterlogged trails. Kicks that boast
Gore-Tex or a similar waterproof outer
layer will stop your socks getting wet, butif those materials are out of your price
range, look for shoes with little mesh fabric
as these are less likely to let in water.BRING THE HEAT
Warm-ups are a must at the
best of times, but they’re even
more important during winter. According
to running expert Tom Craggs, your
capillaries stay constricted for longer
when it’s cold, which makes your muscles
feel stiff. To ensure your bod’s ready to
move, slowly raise your core temperature
with active stretches, mobilising drills
or skipping before heading outdoors.
“You might also find it harder to
breathe in the first 10 to 15 minutes of
exercise,” notes Craggs, so ease into
your run by jogging slowly for longer than
you normally would, then up the pace.BACK TO BASE
Tempted to ditch your trail
runs for the treadmill? Hold
that thought. While the tready might come
in handy during thunderstorms, it won’t
challenge your legs, glutes and core quite
like running in the great outdoors does, so
resist the urge to hibernate for too long.
“Try to see the autumn and winter
months as a time in which you’ll be gaining
strength and fitness for your spring goals,”
suggests Craggs. Since it’s not as hot,
winter’s actually the perfect time to
build up your aerobic fitness with long
jogs through the park, threshold runs in
hilly areas or cross-country-style loops
on muddy or grassy terrain.RUN LIKE THE WIND
You can definitely rely on winter
to throw a few windy days your
way, so it’s important to know how to deal
with them – that is, planning your running
route according to the wind direction. If
you run with the wind on the way out, you’ll
get hot, sweat, and then feel cold while
running into the breeze on the way back,
which isn’t ideal. Instead, Sigbertsdottir
suggests you start with the wind in your
face and end with it at your back. If that’s
too hard, keep your body temperature even
by mixing up your direction as you go.PLAN B
You might not be able to
control the weather, but you
can control your schedule, so instead of“Raise your core temperature with
active stretches, mobilising drills or
skipping before heading outdoors”
#1
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On your marks
Want to smash your winter
runs? Follow this cold-weather
sesh from Craggs and you willEASE INTO IT
After completing a few warm-up
moves indoors (think circling
your arms and swinging your
legs), head outside and run
slowly for 15 minutes to give your
body time to adjust to the cold.KEEP STEADY
Spend the next 15 minutes
running at a moderate pace. This
is not your all-out speed – it’s
a pace you feel you could
maintain for a long distance.GO HARD
Pick up the pace until you’re
running at a speed that feels
quite fast (you’ll only be able to
say three or four words at a time)
and hold it there for 15 minutes.COOL DOWN
Decrease the pace and jog the
remaining distance back home,
then do some easy stretching.Love this? Search for more like it on
womensfitness.com.au
KEYWORDS: RUNNING FITNESSletting the cold and rain derail your fitness
goals, always have a plan B. For example,
if you’re someone who finds it impossible
to wake up when your alarm goes off on
a cold, dark winter morning, Murphy
recommends switching to lunchtime runs
to maximise the daylight hours. If you
struggle with finding enough time during
the day to do your usual run, try decreasing
the length of your workout and increasing
its intensity. So, you could combine a
10-minute warm-up with a 20-minute
tempo run and five-minute cool-down
and be done in 35 minutes. Simple!womensfitness.com.au womensfitnessaustralia @womensfitnessmag @womensfitnessau 47BeFIT
WORDS
SARAH IVORY; JAYMIE HOOPER
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