Staying motivated to run in those cold winter months
I’m a firm believer that running is the best way to stay fit and active, and its absolutely something I live by as a regular runner getting out three times a week. The dual benefits it delivers for my physical and mental health are unmatched, and that’s what motivates me to slip on my trainers each time. I am, however, also under no illusion that running isn’t one of those activities where enjoyment and motivation to do so is utterly and inextricably tied to the seasons.
Let’s face it. Running in the cold and wet of the winter months is not the same experience as heading out under the warm summer sun, and there’s no shying away from that. That being said, the benefits of running do not go anywhere. It still does wonders for your body and mind no matter the time of year, and arguably even more-so I’m the winter when the days get dark and miserable like they do in the UK. It’s therefore important to keep yourself motivated, which is something that I’ve gotten heaps better at over the last couple of years. My runs used to be a lot more scant in the colder months, but thanks to some personal coping mechanisms I’ve developed, I’ve managed to circumvent that.
Can you see where is going? Yep, I’ve got those tips on hand to share with you. Quite timely I’d say too, as I’ve already had to start employing all of these tactics over the last couple of weeks. Let’s get into it!
Keep that running playlist fresh. I personally feel this is essential all year round, but particularly so when its miserable outside and you need to maximise the appeal of running in your mind. Having a regularly evolving set of your favourite tunes to listen to can really help to keep those runs exciting, and put simply also gives you something to focus on that isn’t the weather.
Layer up! It sounds obvious, but it’s such a game changer and was something I never used to properly do in my early running days. My gloves, fleece and joggers are now absolute essentials for me from November through to March, as well as a thermal underlayer for my top half too. Gloves are my lifesaver though, with my hands being the part that get cold fastest and hardest (to the point where its actually painful). I’d just been wearing a regular pair of gloves of mine until recently, but my mum very kindly sent me some proper thermal running gloves a few weeks ago and they are amazing. So, definitely make sure you’re suitably kitted out this winter. No need to spend loads of money getting fancy running stuff though (I haven’t). As long as you have some good thermal yet breathable layers, you’re all set.
Get out in the daylight vs the dark. An essential, for me at least. I’ve never been a fan of running in the dark hours. I find it much harder to motivate myself to leave the warmth and cosiness of home when the sun has already gone down (though that generally extends to any evening outing in my case!). At the beginning of each week I schedule in my runs over select lunchtimes in the week, depending on my work calendar, and then also for one morning on the weekend too. I find this works pretty perfectly for me, in order to avoid being left with no choice but going out in the darkness.
Set yourself goals to work towards (big or small!). Another really important one. I find having goals to work towards, on both a weekly and monthly basis, incredibly useful. For this I find Strava challenges work perfectly. I always sign up on the app to do the same overall challenge distances each month, and this really encourages me to keep my distances consistent each week to work towards those goals. I’m the sort of person who couldn’t bear to suddenly miss out on the virtual badge one month! I also use it to sign up to do a variety of set distances each month, which I find really satisfying to complete and again it gets me out to do longer distances when the cold weather makes it seem otherwise unappealing. If setting yourself goals seems a bit daunting, just start with something really small (probably sticking to a weekly basis) and slowly build up from there.
Avoid the muddy and wet routes. Sticking with routes which are mostly paved, or at least somewhere on that end of the spectrum, is a good way to keep your runs pleasant enough that you’ll be willing to go out again in the near future. Ending a run covered in mud personally really puts me off (but hey, maybe you like that). In the winter months I therefore do more of my runs on pavements or within parks, as opposed to my favourite summertime routes along the former railway turned national trail near where I live. I’ll just have to wait a few months to get those picturesque canal views again.
Stay at home when the weather is truly gloomy! Wait, aren’t I meant to be giving you tips to do the opposite of this? Well, yes, but at the same time it’s also important to not force yourself to go out when the weather is particularly awful or there’s really frosty conditions. It’s much more effective to just hold off and wait for tomorrow, when it’s looking a bit better out there. Otherwise you risk those horrible one or two experiences really demotivating you from continuing to get out in the future.
Well, that’s it from me. 6 feels like a good number of tips (don’t ask my why). Hopefully some, or maybe even all, of my coping methods work for you too. Good luck! Let’s keep running, and before we know it we’ll be back in our shorts and under the summer sun again.
Thanks a bunch for reading.
- Tom