Winter isn't Coming; It's Here.

Tips and Tricks to make sure you do winter training right.

It’s December, it’s Minnesota, and that can only mean one thing: Winter Training. That’s right friends- the snow is here, and it’s here to stay.

Runners in MN are some of the grittiest people I know, and I think part of the reason for the grit is winter training. We’ve all just sort of accepted the fact that if you want to be a good runner, you can’t really take 4 months off every year just because the weather is cold. Instead, you have to figure out how to make it sustainable, make it fun, and do it right.

As a coach I firmly believe that this time of year can help make or break spring, summer, and fall seasons. Winter doesn’t have to be flashy, but it does have to be done right. Below are 7 Dos and Don’ts for winter training. Why 7? Because I thought 6 was a good number but then I decided to add one more.

1. DO! Slow down on easy days; DON’T! Run hard every day.

   One HUGE key to effective winter training is running the easy days truly easy. Because of footing, temperature, layers of clothing, etc, every day could accidentally become a hard day if you are beholden to a particular pace. Winter recovery days are times to forget about your watch, check your ego, and run truly easy, even if the pace on your watch is slower than you usually see. It will be worth it when you have the ability to run workouts hard, and you don’t burn yourself out or get hurt during this time of year when you should be building a strong base for races to come.

2. Do! Include base workouts; DON’T! focus on race-specific fitness.

   Unless you have a race on the calendar that takes place before the beginning of March, the winter is not a time when you have to be focused on precise splits or specific intervals. Instead, these weeks and months are best spent building a base and working on gears and fitness that you don’t always have time to develop during race-specific training. Including things like strides, hills, fartleks, longer steady intervals, and progression runs are terrific ways to build fitness in a manner that sets you up well for success come spring. Here are a few examples:

   1. Instead of doing 5x1k at 5k pace like you might do in the weeks right before a 5k race, do 4x [5x 45s on, 30s off] at 5k pace. This will be the equivalent of doing 15min of 5k work, on short rest, without having to find 1,000m of clear pavement in cold temps.

   2. Instead of 8x1k at threshold, do 6x2-3 min uphill at threshold effort. You’ll get good aerobic work in, you’ll build strength, and you won’t be able to compare your splits and paces to perfect weather days because uphills change the pace you can run.

   3. Instead of a LR with sustained marathon pace in it, do a LR with a progression over the second half. Try to get a little faster every 5-10 min. You’ll get a great aerobic stimulus without having to hit certain paces in the cold, and you’ll feel better about the effort than if you had more specific pace goals in mind.

3. DO! Drink fluids; DON’T! Rely on your thirst.

   During the summer it’s pretty common for me to return home after a run and drink an entire bottle of water or sports drink because I feel so thirsty. The hot temps and humidity make these beverages appealing. Alternatively, I rarely feel this same urge during the winter. In fact, when I get back from a run, often a cold glass of water is the the opposite of what I want. However, hydration is still incredibly important and you still need to drink lots of fluids. Get creative- heat up a glass of water and put hot chocolate mix in it, or drink tea, or find a flavor of electrolyte that is nice to drink warm. Whatever your strategy, make sure you don’t go the next three months without paying attention to hydration.

4. DO! Use the Treadmill as a tool; DON’T! shame others for doing so.

   A treadmill can be a terrific benefit on any given day if it is the easier, safer, or more appealing option. Winter weather sometimes makes it hard or unsafe to run workouts outside, and an indoor option is great. Additionally, winter training can become monotonous, so if there’s a day when you simply don’t want to go outside and running inside sounds more appealing- go for it. And don’t shame anyone for using a treadmill. It turns out, we can each like and dislike different things, and indoor running machines are a convenient way for some runners to get in their miles over the winter.

   The only thought I will offer is anytime you run on a treadmill, run on effort. Treadmill calibration is different on every machine, and depending upon your form the TM can make running feel easier or harder, etc. If you opt for TM, run the effort that you feel is right, and trust that your inner sense of pace is correct even if the numbers aren’t what you would usually see outside or on a track.

5. DO! Strength Train; DON’T! give up strength for more miles.

   Winter is one of the best times of the year to focus on strength because usually your race goals are more long term. My philosophy on strength training is during the winter it’s okay if strength training inhibits the running training just a little bit i.e. you feel sore on some runs because of your lift, or you skip a 25 min easy run in order to hit the gym a second time in the week. Alternatively, in the 8 or 12 weeks leading into a specific race, you don’t want your lifting to inhibit your running training because the goal you’re preparing for is a running goal, not a strength competition. Therefore, NOW is the best time to prioritize getting strong. I recommend almost all runners complete 2 strength sessions each week during the winter. If you need advice on what to do- reach out!

6. DO! Allow yourself to pivot; DON’T! fall into an “all or nothing” mentality.

   Let’s face it, despite our best intentions and plans, sometimes Mother Nature throws us a curveball. You have an 8 mile run with a 5k fartlek planned and we get 6 inches of snow overnight. Or, you need to do strides or pick-ups in your run and all the sidewalks are covered in ice. Or, you have a LR to accomplish, and it’s -10 degrees with a -20 windchill. On those days, it just might not happen- and that is OKAY.

   Your race goals are far away, you’re focused on building general fitness, and moving workouts around is not going to be the end of the world. Additionally, if your training plan calls for a 2 hr run but you can only make it 75 minutes because of the cold, then run for 75 minutes, no big deal. You’ll live to run another day. If you focus on every little detail during the winter, you’ll be emotionally and mentally burned out when the nice temps and clear paths do come around. Give yourself a chance to have a great spring and summer by allowing yourself some flexibility during the cold, winter months.

7. And Finally DO! run with company; DON’T! suffer alone.

   Just last weekend I was feeling sort of blah about the weather, so I texted a friend and the result was an incredibly enjoyable 9 mile adventure through the snow. Even with a mostly positive attitude, I likely would have been a bit miserable had I gone out alone. But being out with good company made all the difference. For the next three months, call a friend, knock on your neighbor’s door, text the group chat, and find company for the run. I guarantee it’ll be worth it.

So there you have it- some tips and tricks for doing winter training right. I hope there was something in here that you can use as we hunker down and get comfy in this new reality. If you have questions about winter training or you’re looking for suggestions about how to best utilize the next three months, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.

Happy Running!

Maggie