Northerners running Disney races in the winter - some questions

[KristinU]

Hi All,

I live in CT and am considering the Princess half. Anyone else from up in the northern states have any experience to share as far as training in the winter to run in a warmer climate? I realize that it shouldn't be "hot" but it will certainly be much warer than my regular runs at home.

Tips, suggestions, experience?

TIA!

 

[Benducci]

Wondering this myself since I just started all this!

 

[FireDancer]

I live in the Cleveland, OH area and have run halves in January and March and will be running the Disney full this January. With proper winter running gear you can hit the roads with the temperature all the way down to 0 (and a couple of times with the wind chill below 0). It takes an awful lot to make me turn to the treadmill so some warm running pants (I have a hind base layer that works great), a good running coat, and wicking hat and gloves are a Godsend.

There is a running store around here that does a winter running clinic every fall for new runners or runners who want to try and stay outside in the winter.

Outside of the gear the biggest thing to remember is that while running in snow you need to shorten your stride and make sure you land with your legs underneath you, not out in front. If you have the option of running in snow (provided it is not too deep) or in tire tracks stick with the snow. The tread on your running shoes will provide traction but it isn't uncommon for the tire tracks to turn into sheets of thin ice and the shoes aren't going to help you there.

I started running outside in the winter in 2005-06 and have yet to slip or fall (knock on wood).

 

[jmasgat]

Well, I'm a Michigander who did her first race at WDW--the dearly departed Minnie 15k. It was in May, and I had trained during the winter/spring. Here are a few things I can think of:

--Adjust your expectations for finishing time downwards. If it is hot or humid, your body will work hard for a slower time than you might normally have. Could be anywhere from 10-30 seconds/mile slower depending on how hot/humid. Fortunately for me, it was my first race so I had no grand time goals--that's a good thing to keep in mind.

--Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I am still working on this one. You need to replace the fluids and the electrolytes that you are sweating away. I won't quote numbers--just go to someplace like Runner's World and check out articles on hydration. This rule holds no matter what the temp--but is more important during warm weather.

--Don't forget to do a little preventive medicine for spots that might chafe/rub. I use Body Glide liberally. Things that might not chafe during cold weather runs may do it during warm. (Without giving TMI, I tend to end up with chafing near my sports bra and some spots near underarms)

The stuff I mentioned is mainly race related. Your training conditions are what they are (unless you have a treadmill inside a sauna or steamroom!)

Maura

 

[KristinU]

Thanks for the thoughts Maura and Frank!

I think my biggest concern is the drastic change in temp and humidity. This spring here in New England we jumped quickly into warmer than usual temps and it really jarred me since I didn't get my gradual increase heat and humidity. I love running in the cooler weather and can do so much better, so keeping realistic expectations about time is probably key. I've only done one half so far and will do my second in 4 weeks, so it isn't like I'm super competitive about it anyway...but of course I'd like to see my times go down with each run.

I run outside all winter, but we do have a treadmill (though I really dislike treadmill running!) It sounds like I might want to incorporate some treadmill runs to keep up with running in warmer temps, huh? Maybe once a week?

I'm thinking that we'd make it a vacation week since my DS's school vacation is that week leading up to the Princess half, so I'd have a few days of getting used to the temps in FL as well.

 

[johde]

Last winter was my first one where I went out and stayed active. I wasn't confident with myself to run on the snow but I found an area at a local college that was well plowed but almost completely deserted on the weekends. I marked out a 1 mile loop and repeated as necessary for my long training distances. I did go inside to the Tread mill for my mid week training.

 

[Bookwood]

Being from Indiana I worried to about the cold to hot for my first half Marathon. Ideally I'd advise you to head south a few days early. It's cheaper to fly on tuesday/wed so I usually head to WDW the. For the Princess I'm arriving tuesday night DD#2 (from CT) is arriving Wednesday morning and we're doing a couple days at Uni to see the Wizarding World then head to WDW. Bring something to wear for any weather you just never know. I've run Disney in Jan when it was 80 at the start and when it was in the 20's for the start. Body glide and layers are my friends.