How to Be a Winter Warrior During a Polar Vortex

A HUGE thanks to my friend Johanna, who is here today to spread the winter running love. The perfect thing to talk about while I’m basking in the warm Hawaiian sunshine.

There’s no need to hibernate – get out there!

Cooler temperatures. Impending polar vortex. Frostbite on the plants I forgot to bring inside. And the Farmer’s Almanac predicting the 2014 – 2015 winter as one during which we won’t only be cold, but we’ll exist as a “Refriger-nation.”

Who’s ready to lace up their sneaks and run outside with me?

Winter weather (unless you live in Florida) offers two stark options for runners.

1. Dusting off the treadmill (or the “dreadmill” as I lovingly call it) and start logging miles which catching up with Scandal and Downtown Abbey.

or

2. Learning how to layer up, to stay safe and to find motivation to run outside.

Without a doubt, I’ll opt for layers, safety and motivation over the treadmill any day of the week.

Last year, I consistently ran outside 4x week, logging about 75-85 miles/month. Believe it or not, some of my favorite, treasured runs happened during blizzards and snowstorms.

Sure, my friends thought I was a bit (entirely) nutty for running outside in less than ideal weather.

Between you and me, I love running in the winter. In fact, when I look back over my training notebook for last winter, I ran the most consistently and frequently in the cooler, winter months.

Right now you may just be wondering “How did she motivate to do that? What did she wear? And how did she stay safe? It’s scary to run in the snow, ice and darker, shorter days!”

You’ve got questions about how to be a winter warrior and I’ve got your answers.

When dressing to run outside in the winter, here’s what you need to know.

• Cover your head.
• It’s all about the base (layers), no tricky cotton (Angela did a great post on this already.)
• Protect your hands
• Dress as if it’s 20 degrees warmer outside.

Once you’re dressed and ready to go out the door, safety has to be at the forefront of your mind. Always make sure you can:

• See (headlamps are a great addition to your winter warrior wardrobe)
• Be seen (brighter colors and reflective gear, vests and blinky lights are a must)
• Be like ET and carry a phone to call home if need be
• Screw your sneaks. Seriously, make DIY YakTrax and put screws into your sneakers (Learn more HERE.)

So you’ve gotten yourself outside a few times. Rightfully so, you’re quite proud for braving the elements and getting your sweat on. But now it’s week two of cold, dark, dreary weather and your motivation is starting to wane. What’s a girl to do to stay running?

• Sign up for a late winter or early spring race. That will light a fire under you for sure.
• Find a running buddy. It’s the sole (get it?!) reason I consistently ran as much as I did last year.
• Change your mindset. Winter running isn’t about PRs and tempo work. It’s about maintenance mileage.
• And my favorite, channel your inner badass.

Keep running outside all winter long w/ these great tips from @johannavoss #runchat #winterrunning
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How do you plan to stay warm, safe and motivated this winter to keep up your mileage?

For weekly running motivation, insight and training tips, come visit me at www.johannavoss.com

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