Winter Training in Canada

Further to my last post and in light of my race plans for 2016, I started my 20-week training block for the Grand Canyon Ultra on January 3.  Last week the temperature starting dropping and "real" winter descended upon southern Manitoba.  Up until that point, it had only reached approx -15C and my coldest run had been at -12C.

If one is to commit to an ultra-marathon, one needs to COMMIT.  Which means that runs need to happen regardless of your excuses, weather being the least of them.  When the thermometre started to drop into the -20's with windchill in the -30's, I started to question which I hated more: running on the treadmill, or running in the cold.

I have only done 3 seriously cold runs so far, so I am by no means an expert.  I am very fortunate to have some hardened and wizened Manitoban friends who gladly have been offering me all kinds of advice on clothing, hydration, face masks and general mindset, in addition to lending me gear.

One good thing about it finally getting really cold is that people have stopped telling me that "it's not cold yet, just you WAIT until it gets cold" every time I ran in a new personal cold record that didn't qualify as cold enough to the locals - sufficiently making me feel totally soft.

I was seriously initiated on Sunday when I ventured out to Birds Hill Park with Todd to do a few loops of the lovely winding wooded Bur Oak trail.  This is what I woke up to:

Gearing up to go outside - a tad terrified.  I lost the ski goggles quickly as they fogged up and were generally annoying.

Running Bur Oak - yes my mitts are off.  Sweat was dripping off my fingers.

So in my limited experience, the learning curve has been STEEP.  Here are a few things I've learned during my runs:

1) Listen to the experts.  And be grateful for friends who look out for you in your ignorance.

2) Layering is key. Up to -18C I need only 1 layer on my legs, and 2 layers under my wind jacket.  Colder than that I have experimented with adding 1-2 layers. Winter running can be expensive.

3) Do not wear waterproof wind pants when running in wind-chill of -36C.  The moisture will trap under them and you end up with a layer of ice and frost on your next layer.

4) Gortex shoes are a must.  I am in love with my Saucony Xodus 6.0 GTX shoes.  My feet have never been cold and they have awesome grip.  They are very stiff, but all shoes will be in cold temperatures, and they work ok for flat terrain. Not so great for hills.

5) I love the Cold Avenger Mask.  I hate face masks that stick to my mouth, get wet and then blow into my mouth with the wind, creating a feeling of suffocation.  The Avenger Mask fixed that problem for me, and warms the air before it enters my lungs.  I look like quite the crazy person running in it, but I honestly feel almost like I'm running on a warm day while wearing it.

6) You sweat a LOT more than when running in warm weather.  Sounds crazy, but it's true.  And you can't drink as much because your water freezes.  And then you would need to stop to pee, which would mean exposed fragile skin.  So I end up quite dehydrated after my winter runs and have followed advice to pre- and post-hydrate excessively.

7) I am told that you work 20% harder to run in the cold, and I would agree.  Possibly even more.  The energy expenditure to haul heavier shoes and clothing, run on slippery terrain and against the wind, and to simply to keep warm is enormous.

8) Do not stop once you've started.  It's amazing how warm I get while running even at -30+ but the instant I stop, the cold settles in really fast.

9) Mitts, not gloves.

10) It's all relative.  For every colder run that I do, I realize where the annoying comments telling me "it's not cold yet" came from.  Hence, gratitude for those days when it's only -10C!

The verdict: A sunny trail run in the snow at -36C wind chill beats the treadmill hands down.  As long as you dress accordingly, it's possible to run in the cold.  Is it my favourite thing in the world?  No, but any run day is a good day.

Now...when you're worried your car may not start after you've been running for a few hours, it may be time to reassess...but that wasn't me.  Nope.