I have gotten a few questions over the past couple weeks on running in the snow and ice. As you all know I live in Erie, PA where we have snow on the ground almost every single day of winter.

Snow

If it isn’t snowing it is VERY cold. VERY VERY cold. The weather man will call for 10-15 degrees for a high which really means right around 0 with the crazy wind we get off the lake.

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I know some of my blog friends are super troopers and will be out no matter the temperature, wind, or snow. I on the other hand play it pretty safe when it comes to running this time of year.

During a normal winter I would incorporate running off and on outside as the weather allowed. Since I am on the mend from my injury this winter I am playing it a little safer.

 

Here are a few things I look for when I am determining if I can run outside:

1. How bad is the ice.

2. What kind of run am I looking to do.

3. How much wind are we having.

 

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These are the three main things that impact where I train. They each have their own reasoning behind it. I will remind you this is completely my opinion and some people can tackle all 3. 

 

1. Ice is the worst. Especially when there is a nice solid layer UNDER the snow that you can’t see.  I find it very hard to relax and enjoy my run when I am constantly having to focus on where I am stepping. If the roads haven’t been cleared enough to where I can see pretty easily where the ice is then most likely I will choose to run on the treadmill.

 

2. The only time I will consider running out in the snow is when I am doing an EASY run. This means that I really have no care in the world what my pace is. It is so much harder for me to keep a quicker pace when I have to constantly look at what I am doing and what I am stepping on.  It makes it almost impossible.  The fact that I am incredibly clumsy doesn’t help me in this department either.  If I have a workout to do (which hasn’t happened in a while) I will always use the treadmill.

 

3. Wind is a big factor where I live.  It is common to have 5-10 mph every day and on days during the winter we often see 20-30 mph winds. With the crazy cold and snow, wind just makes it that much harder.  You can call me a wimp all you want, but if I have 20-30 mph winds I am high tailing it to the gym in the morning. It’s just isn’t worth the miserable sub zero temperatures blowing in my face.

 

There you have it! My extremely scientific views on running in the snow and ice.  In the end I always play on the side of caution because I am very clumsy and it is not worth falling and hurting something.  A great example of this is just what happened to my husband. In this case he was not running, but a fall on ice can really impact your running and hurt your body!

 

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Do you run in the snow and ice?

What do you use to determine if it is safe for you to run?

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