Although you may feel the urge to remain cocooned indoors during winter you cannot hibernate. Runners in particular need to make the ultimate decision before they pound the pavement through freezing temperatures: precisely how cold is too cold?
Exercise officials warns against running outside if the wind chill is below -27 degrees Celsius because that’s when your risk of frostbite grows20. Some experts have made the cut-off -6 degrees. Nevertheless, what it boils down to is simple: you’ll get a different number depending on who you ask.
The reality is that it’s entirely up to you however there are some key things which you need to keep in mind before you lace up your running shoes and step outside to have a run during winter.
What Does The Doctor Say About Running In Winter?
Everyone has heard the warning, some time or another: “Don’t go out in the cold or you’ll get sick!” Getting outside and remaining active in the cold can actually make your immune system far more resilient—as long as you wear sufficient warm layers. As an added benefit, the exercise endorphins can assist to offset SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) symptoms that often accompany the cold-weather seasons2.
What To Wear When Running Outside During Winter
However, there are also particular factors for runners to consider on a person-by-person basis. If you have asthma or some type of breathing condition, it’s not ideal to breathe in that harsh air. Don’t go out in extremely low temperatures. When wind chill is around negative -28 degrees Celsius, frostbite can set in within 30 minutes.
- Rule of thumb: Dress as if it’s 20 degrees warmer than it really is. Once you get moving and get not your stride, you won’t feel as cold as you did feel when you first walked out the door.
- Keep the heat close to the body by wearing layers and then tucking the bottom one in.
- Avoid cotton socks as they capture moisture and can keep your feet cold and wet. Opt for wool or – alternatively – synthetic materials and your feet will remain warm and dry.
- Once you’ve gotten back home, change out of your clothes and into warm dry ones as soon as possible. This is because your core temperature can drop as soon as you stop moving.
What Does The Coach Say About Running Outdoors In Winter?
We chatted to a couple of sports coaches and they said that their athletes remain safe in a number of outside conditions. In their experience, the potential hazard is not necessarily the cold itself, however rather a lack of sufficient preparation for running in it.
These coaches have seen their groups train well in temperatures as low as -12 degrees Celsius, however it was not windy, the sun was out and – in addition – they were quite bundled up. Becoming injured or sick while running in the cold is often the result of not wearing the correct clothing. Oftentimes it’s from dehydration, as you don’t expect that when it’s cold.
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