I was walking the dog the other day in a long down hooded coat, winter treaded boots and a scarf covering my face and neck when I noticed a man in what looked like spandex running along side of the road. He was wearing running shoes and was not being pursued by anyone as far as I could see. In his defense, he was wearing a hat and gloves but only a small sports type jacket. It should be mentioned that it was only 11 degrees at the time with patches of ice on the ground. Thankfully, he was the only one I saw that day. My husband remarked that the guy was nuts and I agreed. I thought I might be seeing him as a physical therapy patient some time soon if he didn’t wise up.
In the dead of winter, is it healthy to keep running?
Well yes it is, but inside would be so much better for you than outside when the temperature is below freezing. In addition, ice on the ground makes it so much more likely that an injury will happen as well. We all need to keep up our exercise routines in winter, but when the temperature plunges there are hazards to our muscles and joints as well as to our bodies in general. Hypothermia and frostbite are real threats to our safety. Individual bones and soft tissue like tendons, ligaments and muscles are much more vulnerable to injury in frigid temperatures. Falls are more frequent as well.
In order to cut down on the chance of injury to any muscle or joint, keep the running inside when the weather is iffy. Ice, snow and below freezing temperatures are not the time to be stubborn. A seemingly small injury like a tendon tear or a hairline fracture can keep you from doing your sport for a lot longer than a few cold days. So run in cold weather, but do it inside when the temperatures are below 32 degrees or the ground is slick.
