You absolutely should keep running through the winter. Here’s why | Canada Voices

As a long-time competitive runner, I’ve 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?

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.

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.

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 “cardio.” Keep up your weekly game of rec hockey and hour in the climbing gym during the cold months, and you’ll emerge in the spring as fit a runner as you were last fall.

That won’t happen.

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

The problem with ‘SMART’ fitness goals

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.

To get better at running, you have to run – 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’ 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.

Building those physical faculties takes years, and there doesn’t seem to be any simple exercise that’s better at improving them than running itself. That’s 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 improved VO2 max and running economy by four per cent. That’s the equivalent of chopping 10 minutes off a four-hour marathon. Another study showed a link between cumulative running experience and greater efficiency, and a third study found an association between training volume and running performance.

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’s to load up on consistent mileage in the dark and cold months preceding it – as unappealing as that sounds. Think of it like cramming for a test versus having a deep, sustained knowledge of the material.

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.

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’ll admit, are not glamorous but they can help keep habits intact. And there’s no shame in skirting the cold: I rarely run outdoors when it’s colder than -20.

How to stay fit over 50

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’t super miserable – just normal miserable.

And then there’s the social piece. Find a running club or a small group of friends. Winter is isolating enough, but running doesn’t have to be.

There is no single workout, supplement or superfood that will help your running quite like staying consistent throughout the year. It’s the single most important thing you can do to improve. It’s 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’s advice, which carries me all the way to the spring: It’s easier to stay fit than to get fit.