Winter in New Hampshire keeps us guessing – warm one week, frigid the next, no snow one year, lots of snow and ice the next. Runners need to figure out ways to maintain fitness through these varying conditions. Can we run consistently outside the entire winter? Sure, there are marathons held at both the North and South Poles, and dedicated runners from Alaska to northern Maine. Of course another option exists, where shorts and tee-shirts are the norm, and slippery footing and darkness is never an issue: the treadmill. Since many runners run both outside and inside on the treadmill in the winter, I thought I’d take a look at their advantages and disadvantages. Before the spring warmth returns, running both inside and out might just be the key to winter fitness.

Running outside in the winter can be beautiful. On a sunny day with snow-free roads it is easy to log many miles while admiring the bright and quiet landscape. Frozen eyelashes and frosty hair are winter running badges that melt in satisfying puddles once we return to the warmth of indoors.The more time we spend outdoors, the less chance we’ll develop a bad case of cabin fever, and as long as you dress appropriately, cold is usually not a problem. Since even winter running generates a lot of heat, that means dressing as if it is 20 degrees warmer or you might sweat too much; evaporation from wet clothing can drop body temperature quickly.

On the downside, it may take longer for your muscles to fully warm up in cold weather, and colder muscles cannot generate as much force, sometimes making it harder to maintain pace. Cold muscles could potentially be more prone to injuries, and a frozen winter road is also a harder surface, creating more force on impact that the body, particularly our legs, has to absorb.

I’m sure you’ve been asked by concerned or curious people if running outside in cold weather hurts or freezes your lungs, but that is not the case, since our body efficiently warms up the air by the time it reaches our lungs. According to a 2005 article in Medicine &Science in Sports & Exercise, a small percentage of people do have a reaction known as Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction due to the excessive dryness of winter air which can cause coughing and breathing difficulty during or after cold-weather exercise; partially covering your mouth while running will trap water vapor and help to moisten the air.

For every beautiful winter day, there are windy and extremely cold days, and weeks when snow banks encroach on ever-narrowing snow and ice covered roads still shared by cars that do not always drive appropriate speeds. Or appear to be glad to see runners. It is during these days that the treadmill can be a welcome friend and it can be an effective way to maintain fitness, particularly if the roads are consistently slippery, making any kind of quick pace outdoors impossible. The moving belt of the treadmill is a softer surface to run on, and our legs automatically adjust to the differences; some people find it easier to run on a treadmill, others, think it is more difficult. Studies have found that at slower running speeds, there are few differences in stride length or rate between running outside or on the treadmill, but at higher speeds, runners’ stride length decreased while their stride rate increased, which can translate to a less forceful stride.

When running outside, all runners experience air resistance which does not happen indoors on a treadmill; studies show this generally only affects the fastest runners, but raising the incline on the treadmill 1 percent or 2 percent can compensate for this. The biggest difference between running outside and running on a treadmill has to be monotony; it is not as interesting to run inside as it is outside. Figuring out what you like to do on a treadmill can make the run rewarding and not something to dread. Some people use long runs on a treadmill to guiltlessly catch up on TV shows or movies they’ve wanted to see, others like short, fast sessions to push and test pace limits.

Winter can feel endless, but we are already near the end of January, gaining daylight by more than two minutes a day and feeling the sun beginning to warm. Sign up for those spring races and enjoy the training, both inside and out.

Running Notes

Various winter running series can be found throughout the state, from the Freeze your Buns 5K series in Nashua, to the Winter Chiller series in the north, and the challenging Winter Wild Uphill series where competitors run, snowshoe or cross-country ski up and then back down ski trails at various downhill ski areas. Feb. 24 brings the popular Half at the Hamptons Half Marathon in Hampton.
