Running Reimagined: Smart Plans for Experienced Runners [700a]

Whenever winter arrives, sticking to running becomes a big problem.Winter is indeed a season that tests one's willpower because the mornings are very cold and the temperature is very low, causing many morning runners to gradually give up running.

Indeed, wanting to get out of a warm bed on a cold winter morning is not an easy task. Moreover, running in winter tests one's willpower more than running in summer. The changing weather conditions also drastically alter our running environment, and running in winter makes one more prone to injuries.

Running in winterHow much should we wear? What should we pay attention to? Today, Wuyan Zu will explain it to everyone.

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Running in winter is a good way to exercise.

The saying 'Train in the heat of summer, train in the cold of winter' refers to people making full use of less favorable weather conditions to actively exercise, thereby improving the body's ability to adapt to the environment and enhancing physical fitness. When exercising in a cold environment, ventilation increases significantly, which can significantly improve the cardiovascular load during exercise, thus enhancing cardiopulmonary function.

Additionally, consistently running in a cold environment can reduce the reliance on shivering to generate heat, thereby raising the body's threshold for tolerating cold.

In professional sports teams, winter running training is often referred to as 'winter training,' meaning that during this period without competitions, marathon runners undergo a long period of systematic training to gradually improve their physical functions and specialized abilities, thus laying a solid foundation for the competitions in the coming year.

For those planning to run a marathon or aiming for a personal best (PB), 'winter training' may seem too professional and rigorous, but using the winter to conduct more systematic running training and steadily improve one's abilities is not impossible.

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Before running in winter, it's essential to warm up thoroughly.

Winter temperatures are relatively low, and a basic physical characteristic of muscles is that their contraction performance deteriorates and viscosity increases in low temperatures. If you can't warm up thoroughly to get your body moving, you'll feel very tired and heavy while running, and you're more likely to experience phenomena like 'hitting the wall.'

Moreover, as the name suggests, warming up will quickly make your body warm, so you won't feel as cold when you start running. We emphasize that you must do a thorough warm-up before running in winter. You can choose some dynamic, medium to high-intensity exercises to quickly raise your body temperature, improve cardiopulmonary function, activate muscles, and excite the nervous system.

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What should you wear for running in winter?

Running in winter itself is not a big problem; the main issue is the cold, which reduces comfort while running. Obviously, most people are not suited to running in shorts and short sleeves when it's very cold, but wearing too much can make you feel cumbersome and affect heat dissipation. Therefore, what to wear for running in winter is a concern for runners.

In fact, whether your attire is suitable for winter running can be measured by one standard: if you feel quite cool or even a bit cold when you step outside, then you won't feel cold once you start running, and you won't feel overly hot from wearing too much.

If you don't feel cold when you step outside, you'll definitely feel too hot once you start running and will need to take off clothes. Because the body's heat production during exercise is several times or even dozens of times higher than usual, runners don't need to worry excessively about the cold. Another key point for winter running attire is to reduce exposed areas, which is why we wear long pants, long sleeves, and even hats, gloves, and neck gaiters.

Compression pants with running shorts is the most common outfit: wearing long pants for running in winter is necessary. However, since long pants generally don't have a tight fit, they can hinder running, so compression pants are the main choice for runners' lower body gear in winter. Runners often ask if they need to wear another pair of long pants over compression pants while running. The answer is: generally, no.

Runners can choose winter running gear based on the actual outdoor temperature: hats, gloves, neck gaiters, etc. The head and neck are the most exposed areas in winter, so to reduce discomfort caused by wind blowing over the head, you can wear a hat or use a neck gaiter, and gloves depend on personal preference.

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When running in winter, you need to prevent catching a cold.

Although running in winter doesn't make you sweat as much as in summer, you will still sweat. Even the best sports gear can't be 100% quick-drying and sweat-wicking. Therefore, after running in winter, sweat sticking to your inner clothes and being blown by the cold wind can easily lead to catching a cold.

In fact, colds are not caused by getting cold; viral infections are the main culprits. However, getting cold can lower your immunity, worsening the condition of those already infected with the virus but not showing obvious symptoms. So, reducing the discomfort caused by sweat staying on the body after running in winter is still an issue.

We can take the following measures:

1. Quickly change out of sweat-soaked inner clothes after running. Since runners generally don't carry extra clothes while running, this is not very practical, but you can bring a dry towel to wipe off sweat.

2. Quickly go home after running, change into dry, warm clothes, and then do stretching exercises. This can reduce the time spent outside.

3. You usually wear a jacket when you go out, and after heating up while running, runners often take off the jacket and tie it around their waist. After running, put the jacket back on to reduce heat loss or to block the wind.

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Reduce outdoor running on smoggy days.

When running in winter, air quality is also a major concern for many runners. In winter, the ground temperature is low, making it difficult for ground-level air to disperse into the higher atmosphere, causing pollutants to accumulate near the ground and linger.

Additionally, nighttime temperatures in winter are even lower, creating an 'inversion' phenomenon, where smog is more likely to gather near the ground in the morning. During the day, sunlight warms the ground, lifting the smog into the higher atmosphere. Therefore, smog tends to be heavier in the morning during autumn and winter, while it lessens in the afternoon.

Therefore, from an air quality perspective, running in the afternoon during winter seems more ideal than running in the morning. However, we still recommend deciding whether to run based on the air quality index. When smog is severe, whether it's morning or afternoon, you should reduce outdoor running and switch to indoor exercises like gym workouts or swimming.

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Conclusion

For someone who has developed a good exercise habit, running in winter is not a problem, but it's important to take appropriate measures to stay warm. Of course, during the cold season, doing more strength training indoors can not only substitute for running without reducing running ability but also has positive benefits for runners.

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