{"id":280993,"date":"2026-02-12T20:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T20:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/280993\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T20:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T20:11:07","slug":"you-absolutely-should-keep-running-through-the-winter-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/280993\/","title":{"rendered":"You absolutely should keep running through the winter. Here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Running with a club or a small group of friends can be part of your winter training strategy.LSOphoto\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

As a long-time competitive runner, I\u2019ve learned to expect a litany of common questions from onlookers and beginners alike. Greatest hits include: Have you done the Boston Marathon? How many kilometres do you run every day? And, the recent crowd favourite, given the current weather on the other side of our front doors: Do you run in the winter?<\/p>\n

Canadian winter blows. This one especially does: In late January, I bailed on my run eight kilometres sooner than planned because I stopped being able to feel my face.<\/p>\n

But I do run in the winter (that run, I finished on the treadmill). And if you want to become a better runner, no matter your experience or ability level, you should, too. <\/p>\n

I often see people making a classic mistake: They race a fall marathon, hang up their shoes for the winter and then start again in the spring, losing their precious autumn gains to months of running idleness. The non-running-aficionado has a common belief that the key to good running is \u201ccardio.\u201d Keep up your weekly game of rec hockey and hour in the climbing gym during the cold months, and you\u2019ll emerge in the spring as fit a runner as you were last fall. <\/p>\n

That won\u2019t happen. <\/p>\n

Staying active between races will do more for your spring marathon than spending four months burrowing through the Netflix catalogue \u2013 but in becoming a better runner, not all physical activity is created equal. <\/p>\n

The problem with \u2018SMART\u2019 fitness goals<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, running is predominantly a cardiovascular exercise – but saying that all cardio is the key to faster running is like saying all calories are the key to good nutrition or that sound is the building block of good music. You do need those things, but the magic happens in the specifics: nutrients, melody, specific running training.<\/p>\n

To get better at running, you have to run \u2013 because running itself trains the exact systems that make you faster and more efficient. Simply put, there are three key ones. The first is VO2 max, your muscles\u2019 ability to use oxygen. Next is lactate threshold, the marker of when lactate begins accumulating in the bloodstream faster than it can be removed (want to know what that feels like? Go run a track lap as fast as you can and report back once you hit the final stretch). And finally, your running economy, the amount of energy required to run at a given speed. <\/p>\n

Building those physical faculties takes years, and there doesn\u2019t seem to be any simple exercise that\u2019s better at improving them than running itself. That\u2019s why no knowledgeable running coach will recommend several months away from training. The literature backs this up, too. A study showed that 20 weeks of endurance running<\/a> improved VO2 max and running economy by four per cent. That\u2019s the equivalent of chopping 10 minutes off a four-hour marathon. Another study showed a link between cumulative running experience and greater efficiency<\/a>, and a third study<\/a> found an association between training volume and running performance.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

For the coldest winter days, treadmills can help runners stick to their routine.skynesher\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

In general: More running is better. And the best way to run more throughout the year is not by being a hero and jamming more miles into your spring marathon build. It\u2019s to load up on consistent mileage in the dark and cold months preceding it \u2013 as unappealing as that sounds. Think of it like cramming for a test versus having a deep, sustained knowledge of the material. <\/p>\n

Now, be smart, because like with anything, running gains have a point of diminishing returns, and unchecked training increases could result in an injury. And while the best training for running is running, supplementing your runs with strength work at the gym, and occasional cross training such as biking or swimming, will go a long way in keeping you strong and healthy.<\/p>\n

For truly bitter days, you may want to change the environment. Find an indoor gym or facility that makes you want to show up. Treadmills, I\u2019ll admit, are not glamorous but they can help keep habits intact. And there\u2019s no shame in skirting the cold: I rarely run outdoors when it\u2019s colder than -20. <\/p>\n

How to stay fit over 50<\/a><\/p>\n

A bit of weather strategy helps, too. If the week calls for two hard runs and several easy ones, try to plan your biggest runs on the days that aren\u2019t super miserable \u2013 just normal miserable. <\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the social piece. Find a running club or a small group of friends. Winter is isolating enough, but running doesn\u2019t have to be. <\/p>\n

There is no single workout, supplement or superfood that will help your running quite like staying consistent throughout the year. It\u2019s the single most important thing you can do to improve. It\u2019s simpler than you think, though harder than it sounds. When motivation wanes, as it often does for me by the time I spot people skating on Lake Ontario, I try to remember my university coach\u2019s advice, which carries me all the way to the spring: It\u2019s easier to stay fit than to get fit. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Running with a club or a small group of friends can be part…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280994,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,14485,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-280993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-noastack","13":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}