As we enter into the Winter months there are a few things that are good to know and practice so that your running outside can be safer and more enjoyable.

First we’ll talk about safety. Since it’s so much more dark during the Winter months you’ll want to make sure that you are wearing brightly colored clothes, have some reflectivity on your clothes and you’re wearing a headlamp. It’s also good to have a blinky light of some kind attached to the back of your jacket or hat, if possible.

The bright, neon colored clothes help a lot during the low light parts of the day. Orange, yellow, pink, neon green…these colors really stand out in those dawn/dusk hours.

Reflective patches are almost always on your running shoes but often on your running jackets, tights and sometimes gloves and hats as well. You can also buy separate reflective items such as bracelets and vests that can be very helpful.

A bright headlamp is a really important item. It not only helps you see the ground better, it also helps so that others can see you better as well.

One other safety aspect that should be mentioned is that when you’re running on the roads you always want to run on the left side, facing traffic. That is so that you can be aware of the cars early, in fact by running on the left side of the road you are typically aware of the cars before they’re aware of you and you can therefore be proactive about staying out of the way.

On a related note, I would encourage everyone to NOT use headphones/air pods when running on the roads. Your hearing is one way that you’re able to stay aware of your surroundings and when you have headphones in you diminish your ability to hear and are therefore less safe.

Another item to consider when Winter running is the condition of the road/trail. Obviously things can get a little slippery out there, so having some kind of traction device on your shoe is very helpful. There are three good ways to get better grip in the snowy, icy conditions.

First is that you can simply wear trail shoes. Some trail shoes are more aggressive than others but nearly all of them will offer better “bite” into the snow than a road shoe will. Trail shoes are a good place to start.

Another option is to add traction to your shoes. There are two good ways to do that. One way is to buy a separate traction device that attaches to your shoe. Yaktrax is a popular brand as are STABILicers and Ice Trekkers.

An old school way, and my personal favorite method, is to simply put screws into the bottom of your shoes. You’ll want to use 3/8” Hex head sheet metal screws and just screw them straight into the bottom of your shoes so that the head of the screw is what bites into the ice. If you use a normal training shoe you won’t even feel the point of the screw with your feet and if you use a trail shoe then drive the screw directly into one the lugs. I typically use about 6 screws in the forefoot of the shoe and 4 in the heal, you won’t really need any more than that.

One last thing to consider for Winter running is your apparel. You’ll want to make sure that you stay warm but you also don’t want to overdress. Remember that your body temperature will rise as you run so a good rule of thumb to follow is to dress as if it were 10 to 15 degrees warmer than what it really is outside.

The key to dressing for the Winter is your base layer. You want this layer, that is next to your skin, to be merino wool or synthetic fabric. No cotton for a base layer, particularly for your upper body. The next layer should be an insulating layer and should be a bit thicker and looser fitting. Again, merino wool or synthetic fabrics work best. The last layer should be a jacket or any outer garment that is going to block the wind.

Dressing properly for Winter running and the varying temperatures is often an individual thing. Everyone has their own tolerance and comfort levels for cold so you’ll want to do some experimenting until you figure out what works best for you.

One last thing that I want to comment on for running in the Winter is that now is a really good time to work on your Aerobic base. Keep your running consistent throughout the Winter, don’t focus too much on “speed”, but rather just get in consistent, relaxed runs throughout the season and you’ll be in a good spot not only for Track in the Spring but also for Summer training and therefore Cross Country again in the Fall. Think of Winter running as simple training in order to do more training later on.