Surviving winter as a runner
How to keep active when the weather is against you.
I have a video that I made the first time I trained for a marathon. This was back in 2009/2010 so the footage, which was shot on a primitive camera phone and basic digital camera, is much lower quality than you’d find on any Instagram Reel today. But you can still make out the sound of my feet crunching through snow as I make my way across a golf course on a run.
I was preparing to run Brighton Marathon and my training started in December. I’d been running for 18 months by this point, but marathon training forced me to stop being a fair weather runner and train through the winter consistently for the first time. On that snowy run on Christmas Day 2009, I’m wearing a Ronhill long sleeve top with an old cotton T-shirt over the top. Later I acquire a Karrimor high vis yellow jacket and a hat that I lost and still miss.
How to keep going
In the 14 winters since then, my winter kit has grown. But I’ve also learnt that whatever kit you may or may not have, the most important thing to keep you going through winter as a runner is a clear goal or purpose. That first marathon gave me no option but to get out there several times per week and once I did, I realised it wasn’t that bad. You don’t have to be training for a marathon, your motivation could be consistent mileage or a shorter race, but you need to be clear on what you’re aiming for and then do your best to stick to it.
