Top five Winter Running Tips brought to you by the experts at Bupa
To help you get through the winter months, we have sourced some expert advice from Simon Fairthorne, Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at Bupa’s Sports Centre of Excellence in the Barbican, London. Here are his five top winter running tips:
1. Be seen Short days and long nights makes the need for reflective strips on running shoes and clothing mandatory. Thankfully most running specific clothing already has this built in but an added reflective band around your leg or arm will help you to be seen.
2. Stay warm Although it is now considered a myth that most of our body heat is lost through the head and hands, you will lose the most heat through any exposed areas so wear gloves and a hat.
3. Warm up slowly Cold weather will cause blood to shunt towards the trunk and away from the extremities. Therefore to encourage blood to the limbs, spend 5 minutes walking, wiggling the fingers and toes as you try and establish a light sweat. Then start stretching the leg muscles for at least 30 seconds and begin a gentle run allowing 5 minutes to bring yourself up to normal pace.
4. Don't cook yourself Once you have started to run, you may find that you begin to overheat. Overheating is now considered to be the main limiting factor that prevents us from running as fast as elite athletes, who often have an improved natural capacity to regulate their body temperature. In winter, this is easier to regulate and you can either run a little slower or use light layers that can be shed as you run. Knee-high socks that can be rolled down as the legs warm up are also very useful.
5. Don't forget to drink Just because it is winter, don't forget that you will still sweat and that taking on fluids is as important as during the summer. Although running may help to clear a Christmas hangover, alcohol has significant dehydrating properties so walking home from the Christmas party is probably better than running.
Top five Winter Running Essentials brought to you by RUN 4 IT
We all think about what shoes we run in and the effect they have on our bodies but how often do we stop to think about what we wear when we run?
In the colder winter months, it's especially important to make sure you wear the correct apparel to help keep your body warm and dry. Be prepared for training throughout the winter months and check our Top five Winter Running essentials:
1. Hat and gloves to keep the extremities warm, reducing the need for the heart to over work by pumping blood.
2. Fluro and reflective clothing and accessories – ‘be bright be warm be seen’.
3. Technical running jackets to keep the wind and the rain off to ensure body temperature is maintained.
4. Baselayers to ensure moisture is wicked away from the body to reduce heat loss.
5. Technical running tights – to keep the leg muscles warm to reduce the chance of injury.
For more information visit the
Run 4 It website