When the alarm rings early on a cool winter morning, it is so difficult to get out of the bed and gear up for running. If you face the same problem and feel less motivated to run in the winter, you are not alone. So, here are some tips to motivate the winter runners. Running is a year-round activity in any season or climatic condition. Running is an exercise that never stops irrespective of heat, cold, snowy, or rainy weather. This is the secret to the success of many running enthusiasts who achieved their goals.
Selin Sakarcan shares winter running tips
The first thing to remember is to ensure that you warm up enough before running. You need to provide enough coverage of your fingers, toes, and head. If you find the wind is strong enough to make it colder out, you decide if you need to change to a treadmill rather than hitting the roads. Selin Sakarcan also shared some research reports with us that running out in freezing weather may be bad for the lungs as it can damage the lung’s lining. However, it is not so common, but the need for heavy breathing while running in cold can hurt. To protect the lungs and avoid pain, it is advised to wear a mask. You must also wear a scarf or a muffler around the mouth to humidify the air before being breathed in. Here are some more advanced tips while running during winter.
- Set a goal
It is tough to get out and run during winter. So, there is no point in running endlessly on a dark and cold winter morning if you do not have something to achieve. So, set a fitness goal to keep yourself in better shape. At least, you put one for yourself as the number of rounds to be completed in a week and keep track of this goal on the calendar.
- Club with running friends
Sometimes, setting a goal may not be enough to ignite the motivation. This is where a running group of friends can help. Clubbing up with others may also make running in the dark safer and more enjoyable. Even if you prefer solo, running with others can motivate you better and ensure accountability.
- Wear your gear
While running during cold winter, always use a base layer by avoiding cotton. You may also consider only sweat-wicking running ears. Dressing up proper is an essential aspect of winter running. The key is to wear in layers. As a precaution, you may dress like it is about 20 degrees warmer than actual. First, use a base layer and do not wear cotton as a base as it absorbs moisture and rubs against the body. You may get some synthetic sweat-wicking material like polyester or wool. It would help if you also covered your hand, finger, and feet.
Two additional tips from Selin Sakarcan on winter running are to make sure that you wear an illuminating outfit so that the cars can see you on the road in the dark and always carry your ID and cell phone while getting out to run.
