Winter is coming: running in the cold

As the Stark family would say from the famous series "Game of Thrones", winter is coming. It is cold, in some areas, very cold and this can minimize the desire to practice the running.

How can we overcome this climatic barrier that will last for months? Is there a way to make a warmer environment so that going for a run is not a sacrifice but a reward?

Running when it's cold can be difficult but it has its advantages: with this weather, more calories are spent, since apart from the effort involved in running, our body has to fight the cold. Therefore, running in winter would help to lose weight and to resist the cold better since our internal thermostat will adapt better.

And it is difficult to run in adverse weather conditions. The cold, the humidity, the negative temperatures, the polar thermal sensations ... are usually windmills to which the / os r we must face. Running is a good way to warm up since when we do it, our thermal perception will be 10th higher than the external temperature, but we may have a series of doubts or are unaware of a series of tools that make life easier for us in winter.

• Find the motivation: the saying goes that scabies with taste does not itch. The most difficult thing will undoubtedly be to find the desire to face what is behind the window. With how warm it is with the heating and how cold it is out there. It is essential to overcome the temptation to stay at home, to overcome laziness. The ideal secret is in the desire. We have to keep in mind that within a few minutes of starting to run we will have overcome the feeling of cold, that our body will have warmed up and this will increase our feeling of reward and comfort. In extreme situations, gyms and indoor venues are also an option to carry out our training.

• Find the ideal time of day: perhaps logic makes us think that the best time would be noon since it is when our is most acclimatized and still does not present the typical fatigue of the day ... but at that time it is usually difficult to reconcile any training because it is working hours. Therefore, the important thing would be to find a schedule that perfectly suits our needs and make it a routine.
• Better run with friends: You have to be mentally strong to find excuses and stay home on those dog days. That is why going out to run with people can be a wise decision since it will increase our commitment and we will not be dropped at the last minute. There is no room for excuses to make an appearance. In addition, going for a run with people will serve as group therapy and will make you share good times with people with whom if we stayed at home we would not see.
• We are what we eat and drink: in winter it is recommended to take care of what we eat. We have to increase caloric intake since with cold, our body spends more to maintain internal balance. Therefore, we have to boost our intake of carbohydrates. With the cold, internal functions such as sweating and the sensation of fluid loss can also be altered, so we will have to pay attention to a correctlimentation.
• Watch your breath: The airCold can affect our respiratory tract, so we always have to try to inhale through the nose so that, in this way, our physiology warms up the airway. airHey act as a filter. If we neglect this, there are described cases of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, and it is that the aire cold causes the airways to narrow.
• Heating as preheating: Doing a warm-up exercise routine at home before going out can be a great option since we will get “warm” earlier so we will be more prepared to face the cold. As its name suggests, one of the purposes of the warm-up will be to raise body temperature and prepare for the effort. With the cold, our muscles are tightened so the warming mission would be very useful for us.
• After running, better to stretch at home: when we finish running, the cold is more noticeable as our body lowers energy demand. Therefore, stretching at home is recommended as the temperature will be more comfortable. We have to look for dry and warm clothes so as not to get cold either quickly or excessively.
• Pay attention to external factors: with the rain, we have to pay special attention since vehicle drivers may be less attentive to runners; also in winter, the ground can be frozen. We must pay special attention to these situations to avoid sprains, falls or accidents.
• Avoid pushing yourself to the max: the runner, no matter how fond he is, always tends to encourage us to seek our limits, so we always tend to demand more of ourselves. In winter we must not challenge our energies to avoid unpleasant events. We must know how to listen to our body and stop or loosen up when the signals tell us to, since hypothermia can be an unpleasant and avoidable outcome. We have to try to avoid stories of challenges and heroics in the cold months, where the ideal will be to maintain and tone our physical form and lay the foundations to collect the fruit in spring-autumn.
• Take into account the orientation of the wind: it is advisable to start running against the wind since otherwise, the feeling of cold increases.

• Final and special chapter will be the clothes. What is the dress ideal for running in the cold?

Experts advise dressing in layers in winter; to give us an idea, go like an onion. In contact with our skin, the ideal would be a technical shirt that fits well to our body and absorbs sweat. Therefore, for this we have to banish cotton and synthetic materials such as nylon that will make us sweat a lot without isolating ourselves from the cold. Above this and depending on the cold, we would have to put on another thermal layer of a variable thickness depending on the cold. As we have mentioned before, running increases the thermal sensation by 10º, so when it comes to wrapping up we have to take this into account so that we do not overdress. Finally, garments such as a raincoat or windbreaker are recommended depending on the external conditions. To cover the legs, it is usually enough with some good mayas that cover us. Footwear may not be taken into account, but we must wear shoes that adapt to the weather conditions and the terrain on which we run: good footwear must be asked to keep our feet dry and not slip. It is advisable to wear a number more than ours since if the shoes are tight, it would enhance the cooling sensation.

We do not have to neglect the head and trunk, which are essential when regulating body temperature, so we must cover them to avoid overcooling. Using petroleum jelly on the face and ears is a good measure to protect ourselves.

Special mention deserve the hands. When we run, our bloodstream tugs on our muscles, so the hands often do not get warm. That is why it is advisable to wear gloves. And it is that the distal parts of our body (neck, head, feet and hands) usually account for 70% of the person responsible for the internal cold.

Long, dark and cold months are coming but a good runner will know how to give winter light and color. To run!

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