Reasons to Run in Deep Winter

Reasons to run in deep winter, a ten-point list

Deep winter divides runners into two camps – those who turn to the treadmill, and those who layer up and brave the cold. Then there’s a third camp, those who hang up the shoes till more reasonable temperatures return…

Which are you?

For myself, I started in the third camp, avoiding winter running. Then I went a little stir-crazy, and started running at night because the “mornings” – before the sun rises and often coldest hours of the night – where unbearable. A couple years later we swooped up on a treadmill, which saw some use, but I missed getting outside, which is maybe my biggest benefit for my running practice. Once our treadmill became more of a permanent clothing rack, we ditched it, and I converted fully to outdoor winter running. Of course I also like switching up the routing by pulling out the (cross-country) skis whenever possible in winter as well.

If you’re a winter runner, what’s your motivation for pulling on 37 layers to brave the snow-packed sidewalks and brisk north winds?