5 Ways to Get Out the Door in Winter

I can be a Debbie Downer as much as the next girl, but not too long ago I wrote about how I hope to inspire people with this blog. Today’s subject for the  Friday Five 2.0  from Fairytales & Fitness and Rachel @ Running on Happy is 5 winter fitness rants. Only five? I could probably write a book.

So I thought about it a while and decided that I’d share with you some of the ways I motivate myself to run outdoors. In the winter. Over hill, over dale, uphill both ways . . . you get the picture.

We’ve logged a lot of miles together since meeting a few years ago

Meet a friend
This is another do as I say thing — because as I’ve written about before, I tend to turn antisocial in the winter. I can get out to run, but it’s on my terms — I don’t want to run at night and I don’t want to have to pry myself out of my nice warm home and drive somewhere at night either.

If you’re struggling to get out there, though, knowing that someone else is waiting on you (and willing to suffer with you) is a powerful motivator.

Have the right gear
It doesn’t have to be super expensive (although sometimes you get what you pay for). Target’s Champion line is good. I picked up a hat with an attached neck gaiter at Sports Authority years ago — it’s not specific to running, but boy, I was so glad I wore it last week in the snow/freezing rain!  And then glad I’d taken it along for my snowy long run (although I had to stop at the car to swap it for the beanie I was wearing) — Mr. Judy, who was tracking me via the Road ID app, thought I was done running.

I also love the polartec (fleece lined) tights from Athleta — with generous pockets! Even if they make me look like the Stay Puff Marshmallow.

If you’re addicted to your phone, tech gloves are a must.

Thank you for keeping me upright

And then there’s Yaktrax (Amazon Affiliate link). They also got me through my snowy long run last week. I also apparently broke one of the coils on that snow/freezing rain run earlier in the week — but I was uninjured for both runs and I’m calling that a win.

And lay it out ahead of time
I am lucky that I usually have some time to consider what I want to wear, but there are other days I know I’ll be heading out for a run before Mr. Judy will be up. So I will lay out my clothes the night before — usually with a few different options because the forecast changes every hour.

Keep an eye on the weather
I’m always watching the weather, not just when a race is coming up. Will I be able to walk the dogs before or after a run? Will I need to be home to keep an eye on them because I won’t be able to walk them (they both hate getting wet, it seems — I’ve never had a dog that actually liked getting wet).

Why is this important when it comes to getting out to run in the winter? Well, obviously, if a blizzard is forecast one day, you might want to switch your runs up. Or if there’s ice, or a lot of wind, or it’s sub-zero weather.

With point #2, you can run in a lot of bad weather, but there are some times it truly is too dangerous to run. Keeping your eye on the weather, willing to be flexible — it can help you to keep running through the winter.

Food. There’s always Food
I think I’ve mentioned a few times that the thought of my treats postrun helps me get out the door (like I ought to be doing at the moment, by the way, only it’s damn cold out . . . again)? Or maybe you noticed the title of my blog?

Yes, will run for food. All sorts of food. If food motivates you to run, you just might want to check out the cookbook I reviewed earlier in the week: Real Fit Kitchen. Some of those recipes absolutely motivate me to run!

Let me know in the comments:

How to you motivate yourself to move in bad weather?

Any other tricks for getting out the door?

Looking forward to spring — or not?