I’m trying to get into streak running, but when I get hit with a day that has terrible weather (ice rain, smoke from Canada being on fire, etc) I am unsure what to do. And I don’t own a treadmill or have a gym membership. Do you just have very specific gear for those days or what? Any motivation tips and gear tips?
It’s harder for me too to get out the door on those days. I do however, end up enjoying it more than running in “good weather”. I don’t know about your situation but there’s a chance you might end up liking it too!
I think what I like about it most, is seeing other runners on the otherwise empty streets. These people are also here. They also made the choice to brave the weather. There’s an unspoken sense of community there which I find uplifting.
One simple, tangible thing that I’ve tried to do this past winter is to take a selfie everytime I went running. My goal was to add them to an album on my phone or make a small collage of them to act as a reminder that yes, in fact I am the sort of person who goes running whatever the conditions may be. Sadly this hasn’t worked out for me all that well. I always forget to take the picture, hah! (Luckily, despite failing to take a picture I’ve still remained true to my running plan.) Perhaps this or something similar could help you? Visual reminders and progress tracking can be a great help!
As for gear, others have pointed out the cleated shoes and face mask. I run in cleated shoes when it’s icy and during spring with all the dust around I put on a mask. Depending on how much ice, snow you get where you’re from you could manage with regular running shoes too. It’s easier to stay upright when running vs. walking. Even here where 15 to 0 F is the norm for winter time, I don’t see all that many cleated shoes. If winter was shorter I would just use my asics but since it’s quite long I feel more comfortable with cleated shoes. What surprised me this year was that even my Hoka Mach 5’s fared well during the first days of ice and snow even though they have a foam outsole (no rubber).
Clothes-wise I wear a cheap polyester base layer with a regular running jacket, tights and socks. My core doesn’t need much extra but when it gets to -4 fahrenheit I do need to cover my extremities quite well. This means covering my ears and adding wool mittens over my windbreaker style gloves. I have a freebie tube scarf I got from someplace that has been quite useful when worn commando style during colder days. It’s not the temperature that gets you, it’s the wind haha!
In short, you can do it, I believe in you!
Hope this helps 👍