My Journey With Weight Loss – Running In Cold Weather

Today we went for lunch with some good friends. As they live in an area I don’t know well I turned on my GPS. Near the end of the trip it told me to drive 3 km on the current road. When we got to the destination I said to my husband, wow when you run you don’t realize how far 3 km actually is and to think yesterday I ran 4 times that distance.

This past week it has not been above zero a single day that I have been out training. As a matter of fact, with the heavy fog it feels even colder because of the dampness. I always have to balance the amount of clothing I am wearing with the workout I am going to do and hence the amount I am going to sweat. Somedays I’m not sure I have made the right decision but by time I realize that there is no point in going home and adjusting.

I never worry about the pants I wear on cold mornings. I have running pants that may seem a little light when I first start out but trust me by time I have jogged a few blocks the blood is flowing well in my legs and they stay pretty warm. For my torso I usually have 3 layers, a tank top followed by a moisture wicking cloth jacket then my bright reflective running jacket. If I get too warm when I am running (such as when I start having hot flashes which take the concept of being warm to a whole new level) I’ll unzip both jackets a bit and if that is not enough then I open the vents in the sides of my outer jacket. Inevitably at some point along the beach the wind will pick up so I will zip everything back up again only to have to unzip again later on. I also always wear gloves as it seems to take forever for my hands to warm up if they get cold.

Where things seem to be challenging is my head and face. I have on occasion ran while wearing a toque which does keep my ears warm but usually also causes me to feel like I am over heating and thus it will end up being put into my pocket. Instead I tend to run with tears streaming down my face from the cold and my ears feeling like they are on fire especially if the wind kicks up. However, that is ok because if I focus on my gait and pace I tend to forget about the discomfort from the cold. The one thing that the cold has done that does bother me is that my lips get really chapped. Doesn’t seem to matter how much lip balm I use right now, the cold weather is winning this battle.

The last thing I want to talk about when running in the cold is safety. I know my area and routes really well so I know if there is any frost or ice on the ground I need to stay away from the hills as the sidewalks can be quite treacherous. I also make sure I am running routes that are really well lit so that I can see the condition of the sidewalks well in advance. I do want to give a shout out though. Yesterday when doing my 12k my route took me uptown White Rock to our main street. That street is full of businesses and yet despite the below freezing weather there was only 1 business that had prepped by salting their sidewalk (yes, it was very early in the morning when I ran). So, thanks to the White Rock Players Club, an organization I was involved with for 40 years, for doing your part keeping sidewalks safe for early runners like me.