It’s no secret that running provides a smattering of benefits. It supports your metabolism and improves cardiovascular fitness. It can improve your mood and mindset. It offers a gateway to greater social connections. And it gives you a regular opportunity to convene with nature.
For most runners living in northern climes, that last benefit is largely a three-season affair. Winter introduces a host of reasons to opt for indoor alternatives: The footing can be treacherous. The daylight arrives late and departs early. It’s dry. It’s windy. It’s cold — often unbearably so.
But the benefits to lacing ‘em up and hitting the pavement — er, snow — can multiply in the winter months compared with running indoors on the treadmill. If you’re wondering whether winter running might be your cup of tea, ask yourself these questions.
Am I navigating any injuries?
Sticking to clear paths can make outdoor winter running safe for most people. But where winter really hits, snow and ice can be hard to dodge. The risk of injury from slippery conditions and altered footing is real and understandably gives runners pause.
Runners who deal or have dealt with calf or hamstring injuries, ankle instability or strains, balance issues, low bone density, stress fractures, circulatory disorders, or cold sensitivity may want to opt for an indoor alternative.
“If people have specific injuries, such as a hamstring injury, it’s really hard to push off on snowy, icy surfaces,” says Angela Voight, MD, a sports-medicine specialist with Twin Cities–based Summit Orthopedics. “So if you have something nagging like that, don’t try to go out on poor surfaces. Find a dry surface or run on the treadmill.”
Voight suggests that traction devices can be a good way to mitigate your risk of falling outdoors, but she doesn’t recommend them across the board. She cautions that you’ll want to ease into using them because they’ll alter your gait. “If you want to try, like, Yaktrax, maybe do a short run in them, or walk in them, just to slowly get used to them,” she says.
Voight recommends checking in with a physical therapist if you’re unsure whether your body is up for the variable ground or road conditions. A good PT can evaluate your strength and point you to specific strengthening exercises that can help decrease your risk of injury. They can look at your gait and assess your footwear and make recommendations on any necessary changes.
And if you’ve dealt with the aforementioned injuries or conditions, Voight says, “strengthening the specific areas that have been previously injured is one of the best ways to help reduce the risk of recurrence.”
What do I want to achieve?
Running outdoors in winter may not be the right training stimulus to reach your goals. For athletes preparing for a specific springtime event — say, the Boston Marathon, held each year in April — outdoor training in the winter often won’t be sufficient.
“There are times when you have to hit your paces or you have to go for these long, hard runs,” which might not be possible where you live, says Olympian Carrie Tollefson. “A long, hard run that’s very, very slow in the snow might be really fun and give you that sense of accomplishment. But there might be that day where you say, OK, now I do have to switch and go indoors.”
But if you’re training for a big summer or fall race — or just looking to maintain aerobic fitness — running outdoors in the winter is a great way to build your base of miles without worrying about intensity.
Your risk of sustaining an overuse injury goes down because you’re forced to vary your gait by dodging snow and ice and tackling hills, turns, and uneven terrain, Voight says. Your leg muscles expend more energy in cold weather, which comes with benefits that extend northward to your heart. Greater muscle activity combined with the vasoconstriction required for thermogenesis makes the heart beat faster and work harder to circulate blood. That makes the heart stronger, which can lead to greater cardiovascular fitness and a higher metabolism.
And if your goal is simply to get outside? Running outdoors in the winter combines twin mental health benefits: You get the sunlight exposure your body needs to initiate vitamin D synthesis, and, with just 15 minutes of running each day, you can reduce your risk of developing major depression, according to a study out of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
Do I enjoy a challenge?
“Running in the winter is really, really hard,” says Tollefson. Physically, factors like cold temps and snowy terrain can slow your pace and stress your muscles in new, often uncomfortable ways.
The challenge isn’t only physical, though. “It’s hard mentally more than anything,” Tollefson adds. Frustration with the weather — and how you perform in those conditions — can wear down even the most avid runners. It takes a special attitude to not just tolerate but truly embrace winter running.
Finding joy in some aspect of the experience is key to making the hard parts feel worth it. For Tollefson, it’s the sense of accomplishment after the run is over that draws her back into the cold.
“When I come back from a run, I still get that boost, and I’m pumped about it,” she says. “I think, You did something awesome today.” (If winter running doesn’t bring you satisfaction or joy, that is a good reason to pivot your training routine.)
Would I rather be inside?
If running outdoors just isn’t in the cards for you — be it a matter of safety, performance, or personal preference — running on a treadmill is a great alternative.
Michael Rodriguez, DPT, a distance-running coach and founder of Endurance Sports Physical Therapy and Performance in St. Louis Park, Minn., suggests you can avoid the “dreadmill” — the perception and sometimes reality of the monotony that comes from running in place — by mixing up paces and elevation and by listening to a favorite podcast or catching up on shows.
“There may be more indoor-running options in your community,” Rodriguez notes. Some stadiums open their concourses to the public for recreation. And many health clubs have indoor tracks. Pool running and the elliptical are other great low-impact options for maintaining your training in the depths of winter.
“There is a benefit to remembering the options that we do have indoors,” Tollefson says, emphasizing that a treadmill run is nothing to sneeze at. “Don’t feel like you’re not as tough for being on a treadmill.”
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