It is into November in the state of Minnesota and that is when the outdoor conditions start to change to be unfavorable. I have trained here exclusively in my life and have seen just about the worst of it. It blows my mind that there are ultra marathons in this state during winter months. Dressing perfectly for these conditions is an art that I have not mastered. In my mind there are four factors that create (mostly mental) obstacles to training outside.
Number one is darkness. After losing daylight savings and being in the northern part of the country it starts getting dark as early as 4pm. Not a big deal by itself, but not ideal if you are sharing the roads with cars or running on technical terrain.
Number two is the cold. I personally don't mind running in the cold down to about 10 degrees (with calm winds). If you dress right it's no big deal. Cold air feels great to breathe. Also, if you don't overdress, you don't sweat as much. There are no puddles or mud. Unfortunately cold is usually accompanied by wind and/or snow/ice on the running surfaces, which changes the game completely.
Number three is wind chill. I hate cold wind chills (below about 10 degrees). They make dressing right nearly impossible. You really have to plan your route wisely. Into the wind can feel like zero degrees while with the wind can be like 40. Get yourself all sweaty from going with the wind and you'll pay for it when you turn around into it.
Number four is snow and ice on the running surfaces. If you are not injury prone, congrats. You could prance through knee deep snow or slip on icy concrete with every step for 10,000 steps and get a great workout with no repercussions. These conditions might actually build some extra stride strengthening qualities. If you are fragile-legged like me, these surfaces will severely aggravate your niggles or put you on the sidelines.
So when deciding to run outside and one or two of these factors are present, no problem. A little mental fortitude will get you through. If three of these obstacles are looming I need above average motivation to get out the door, but it'll still frequently happen. If all four winter pitfalls are menacing outside I will be looking for a Medal of Honor to make it happen. Otherwise, it's on the treadmill or a day off.
Running slowly is something that I have discovered and used only recently. "Slow" running is a relative term but image running about one and a half to two minutes slower per mile than your typical training pace. Your heart rate stays in the low aerobic zone and the focus is being low impact on the legs. This is the way I've been running on all my runs between "workout" days and long runs. It works wonders to recover and I wish I had been practicing it sooner. It's probably not the best way to train for a fast mile but perfect for slower paced trail racing or ultras.
The main pitfall I have found with slow running is losing your efficient and, more importantly, your injury-resistant stride. My legs get lazy and a new set of aches and pains have appeared. I guess the bottom line is with slow training it is very important to maintain mobility and occasional faster running sessions. At a bare minimum a weekly set of strides. Hopefully this recipe can get my training to above 30-35 miles per week without any plaguing injuries.
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