Running in Winters

Winter is here in full glory in Delhi and for me it’s the frozen hands time! As someone with arthritis, I hate this season.

I start wearing gloves for running from early December and when it comes to 3 degree C weather in January, my regular running gloves seem inefficient and I end up with my hands all swollen up! An advice I got was use mittens for low temperatures. I have used both gloves and mittens in the past. Layers always help!

Be smart on the choice of clothing

I make sure to wear appropriate winter clothing as the mercury dips. Early January means the thickest shirts and longest socks. Double fleece layers follows that! Have not doubled my socks layers yet! If the shoe sizes allow, it is not a bad idea to later up on feet.

Covering the head, neck and ears are important. I always wear running caps to make sure my messy hair is in place. During winter, I wear buff all the time. It keeps the neck warm and double as ear coverings and sometimes as masks ;).

Nutrition Plan

Last winter I had a half marathon race late December. Everything went well except the nutrition. With frozen hands (I was wearing a single layer of gloves being it a race), I couldn’t open my gels. I tried biting open and most of them exploded on my face causing a bit of distraction. Gels can also freeze in lower temperatures. managing nutrition needs a bit of attention and need to experiment during training. I have tried both gel flasks and gel gummies. The best option is to get used to a brand that has easily tear-able packaging.

Drink Drink and Keep Drinking

During winters, we don’t generally drink much. To avoid many bathroom breaks, I try drinking less and this has caused dehydration in the past. So, I make sure to step out of the house with the same amount of hydration as in summers and keep sipping!

Warm-up and warm-down

And, never miss these two. Summer or winter. For me, warm-ups are longer in winters. The legs would need some extra time to wake up and move!

Winters, for some people, are the best times for training. I have logged some personal bests in this season though it is uncomfortable running in many layers. At least it is hot, burning or sweaty!

Enjoy the season!