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in layers that let you adjust your temperature so that you’re never too hot or too cold. Being too hot is a serious problem—you’ll sweat, get your clothing wet, and be in trouble if you start cooling off. I find that layers with zippers, such as a half-zip tech tee, provide for temperature micromanagement. When you’re choosing layers, bring one more than you’ll need in case you slow down or temperatures drop. Often, you’ll start with that extra layer on until you warm up. Anticipate and put on appropriate clothing before you get cold. It’s much harder to rewarm yourself than it is to stay warm in the first place. One last word on winter clothing: Leave the cotton at home. Cotton is a horrible insulator when wet, which happens easily enough via sweat when you’re running.

Hydration, Fueling, and Other Tasks

Freezing temperatures make hydration problematic. For example, it’s not uncommon for a water bottle valve or hydration pack hose to freeze. Sometimes you can break up the ice, but it’s better to prevent it from freezing in the first place. If you’ve ever seen rock salt spread on a road, then you’ve observed electrolytes lower the freezing point of water to make it liquid at lower temperatures. The same thing happens when you add electrolytes to your running beverage. If adding electrolytes doesn’t do the trick, fill your hydration system with warm or even hot water. Insulation accessories are available for many hydration packs, their hoses, and water bottles. There are even some sports water bottles with built-in insulation. In extremely cold weather, wear a hydration pack under your jacket while routing the hose up through the collar opening. For those carrying a bottle, try carrying it upside down (if it doesn’t leak), as ice will form first on the top of the fluid, leaving the valve functional. Whatever your setup, take small frequent sips and blow any excess water out of a bottle’s valve or hydration pack hose to prevent total freeze-up.

Low temperatures can put a damper on eating as well. In the cold, easily squeezed energy gels turn into viscous messes, normally soft energy chews can take out a tooth, and energy bars can become unbreakable super materials. To solve the problem of cold food, either bring food that’s less susceptible to the cold or keep your food warm. On the latter point, you can store you food inside a jacket or in a pocket that sits against your body. You can also simply hold the desired delectable in your hand for a couple of minutes before consuming it. Whether from wearing gloves or cold fingers, the cold can make it difficult to access wrapped food. Prepare your food by making a small starter incision or choose food that’s easily opened.

Cold or gloved hands can make any task more difficult. Avoid situations that will require fine finger movement. Should your hands become moderately cold, try balling them up. If that doesn’t work, put them in a body nook, such as an armpit, under your clothing.

Traction

If you’ve run through a winter with snow and ice, you’ve experienced the slow and dangerous conditions they present. Perhaps you’ve already experimented with various ways to improve your traction in slippery circumstances. Regardless, you can investigate a number of winter running traction options at www.iRunFar.com/rfp/resources.

Learning to Run in Cold Weather

If you’re unfamiliar with cold-weather running, it’s best to experiment safely. Don’t go jumping off the treadmill and going for a 20mile wilderness run in subzero temperatures. Instead start by testing your clothing and gear close to civilization until you are confident it works.

Hypothermia, Frostnip, and Frostbite*

* Much of the information for this subsection was gathered from the Mayo Clinic website, www.mayoclinic.com.

If you dress properly and take care of yourself, you can safely run in mind-numbingly cold temperatures. However, you can run into cold-related danger even in temperatures that are well above freezing.

Given enough exposure, hypothermia can set in even under temperate conditions. Hypothermia occurs