1 year graduate - surviving winter?

[PandaCory]

Tomorrow will be my 1st C25K graduation anniversary - yay! Hasn't it been a strange year? Anyway, I have a question for all you more experienced runners about getting through the winter. I was doing ok last year, happily trundling along, going gradually further (got as far as 12k), notching up a few 10ks and working slowly towards 10 miles. Then winter came, and it all went to pot. I missed chunks of days because of icy ground and other bad weather, and running became so hard (lead insoles I think). I never really stopped, but it was so tough & I was beginning to wonder if my best runs were over. However, I went out on Friday & had a great time, accidentally running 7k - not fast, but really enjoyable. So my question for anyone who's been doing this for more than a year is - is it always like this, i.e. do you mainly just keep things ticking over in winter and pick it up again in spring? I'm still not expecting to break any records, but as long as the fun comes back I'll be happy (and relieved!). Thanks all.

[Tasha99 Marathon]

Well most races are through the spring to autumn. I think that’s the running season. There’s not much on through the winter. Personally I don’t mind running in the cold. I struggle when it’s hot. I try and reach monthly targets so if I do less one week, I do more the next.

[PandaCory in reply to Tasha99]

Yes, I've discovered that I prefer the cold, it's just the ice underfoot that I can't stand, and I know some people swear by spikes but I wouldn't consider running with them . Like the idea of a monthly target, though.

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Many people ease off a bit in the winter months. I’ve been keeping it up the last few years, but weather does drive the consistency a bit. Really bad icy conditions are not worth the injury risk, but if you are set on winter runs I would suggest a set of running cleats or spikes. They bring a lot of confidence to icy runs.

[PandaCory in reply to Decker]

Haha no thank you! I hate running on ice, spikes or otherwise, so I'll just have to stick with looking out of the window & being grumpy ☹ until the ground clears (unless I buy a treadmill...). As long as some of my fitness comes back (good grief, listen to me 😃😃!) when the weather improves, I'll be quite happy. I think you've all reassured me.

[AlMorr Half Marathon]

Quite a lot of runner's run just as much during the winter as other times of the year, however, there are many, including myself who do cut down on the runs during the winter months, I don't stop running altogether but don't run as much much, at least longer runs at that time of the year.

[PandaCory in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks Al, that sounds like my experience and is reassuring.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

I spend the heat of the summer wishing for cold weather running, and vice versa! This winter was particularly hard though, due to lockdown, wind and mud, but I still managed to run. I just reduced my expectations as I was confined to trails, and still am. My trail shoes have been worth their weight in gold! 🏃‍♀️

Last winter, before Covid hit, I belonged to a gym and did a few treadmill runs on particularly nasty days. They weren’t fun at all, and I definitely I prefer the wet and cold of this year.

I think people just make the most of what they have. There’s no right or wrong. 😀

[PandaCory in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Yes, treadmills are grim. I would always prefer to be outside (except when it's icy), but you're absolutely right about reducing expectations. Thanks - hopefully things will start to pick up again now as the weather improves.

[Hillrunner2201 Marathon]

When I first started running I thought I wouldn’t run if the weather wasn’t right - heavy rain, too hot, too windy etc. But this changed over time and I’ll in just about any weather now. The exception being if too slippery and icy to run safely. I’ve got some trail shoes and spikes to attach to running shoes so I didn’t actually miss any running this winter but they don’t work so well with black ice so I wouldn’t risk running on that! I sometimes end up finding my favourite runs were in ‘bad’ weather as there are less people around outside and there’s more of a sense of achievement.

Wearing the right clothes for conditions makes a big difference. Now the might be a good time to invest in gear for cold weather running as this seasons stuff is discounted.

Personally, I enjoy experiencing running in the different seasons but I do sometimes find it tricky to adjust if the weather changes suddenly.

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Congratulations on your runniversary! I'd say I have several periods of ticking over in a year. Usually between training plans. Winter often starts with some downtime after aiming for some autumn target (most races are in spring or autumn, in normal times). It's probably still winter when I start a new plan but mileage tends to be lower at that point in the plan. So yes, I probably do tick over in winter - I just hadn't looked at it that way!!!

[PandaCory in reply to linda9389]

Thanks Linda, that makes sense (and thanks for the Strava support - for some reason I don't always see it until much later, but it's always welcome).

[Irish-John Marathon]

I scale back enormously in winter. No way will I risk falling on ice, hypothermia, pneumonia and just feeling plain rotten outside in the freexing cold.

It might make me a "worse" Runner, but I run for enjoyment after all. And it didn't knacker my quest to complete an FM last year

Start back nice and easy, it does take a while to get back to where you were, but its not -at least in my case - anything like starting from scratch. Two months of non running just means I "start again" with a leisurely 5k, consolidate thay for a few runs and then start building up tje miles again slow and steady

Wishing you many happy miles in your future

[PandaCory in reply to Irish-John]

Thanks John, that's really helpful advice. I did C25K from January-March 2020 & I think I was a bit gung-ho about following the training schedule, so I ended up going out in some seriously crappy weather. This past winter I've been a bit more sensible, so it's reassuring to know that once the weather improves I should be able to get back to where I was. Happy running to you too 🏃🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♀️😁😁.

[Irish-John Marathon in reply to PandaCory]

👍🏻